Oil and chemical spill tracking

Spills of oil and chemicals into freshwater and ocean environments have killed fish, degraded habitat, and led to closures of commercial, recreational, and Indigenous fisheries. Raincoast’s Healthy Waters Program is positioned to collect data at the scene of a spill and collaborate with various organizations and First Nations to understand the impact of a spill. 

Tracker will host a number of rugged analytical instruments, and enable the measurement of several contaminants in the field, including coliform bacteria, nutrients, metals, pesticides, and tracers of wastewater effluent.
Photo by Peter Ross.
Two sockeye salmon swimming in a river.
Photo by Fernando Lessa.

Spills happen

Spills originate from all manner of accidents. The 2005 train derailment that spilled caustic soda into the Cheakamus River that killed 500,000 fish, The 2015 spill of 3,000 L of Bunker C oil from the MV Marathassa into English Bay. The 2020 fire aboard the MV ZIM Kingston in Juan de Fuca Strait that resulted in the loss of 104 mixed cargo shipping containers into the ocean. Each and every accident is bad news, and threatens the health of fish and whales, and contributes to the degradation of their habitats.

Being prepared is key

Given the sudden and unpredictable nature of oil and chemical spills, our oil and chemical spill response work entails being agile and available for support to First Nations, government agencies, and industry during a major spill. We are developing science protocols, and acquiring sampling kits, field equipment, and safety gear, and are poised to deploy our team to the scene of a spill. 

Being prepared on all fronts is key to limiting the damage from a spill. We recognize that with spills, it’s not a matter of if, but when. Research and monitoring to confirm the origin of the spill, track the fate of the spilled product, and monitor the recovery of ecosystem components routinely fails to be a priority. We will deploy expert capacity where and when needed, and work to prevent harm to valued ecosystem components.

Two people working together to collect water samples in a farm field with the mountains in the background.
Photo by Alex Harris.
https://www.raincoast.org/reports/flood

Semá:th X̱ó:tsa (Sumas Lake) Floods of 2021

The catastrophic floods of late 2021 in southern British Columbia (Canada) and neighbouring Washington State (USA) destroyed homes, farms and businesses, with excess water spilling debris, animal carcasses and diesel fuel into historically productive fish habitat. 

We assembled a team to assess water quality in the former Semá:th X̱ó:tsa (Sumas Lake) area of the Fraser Valley over a seven-week period after the floods. We collected water samples from 11 surface water sites and four groundwater sites for comprehensive contaminant analysis and a subsequent risk-based evaluation. We measured 379 analytes (chemical components and bacteria), including 262 anthropogenic contaminants. We examined excess nutrients, metals, fecal coliform, hydrocarbons, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, perfluorinated compounds, sucralose, and tire-related chemicals.

Read the report

Recent articles

A killer whale spy hopping

Canada’s killer whales get their day in court

Guest Commentary Misty MacDuffee and Chris Genovali for BUZZFLASH As British Columbia’s southern-resident killer whales are welcomed back to local waters, many scientists and citizens are growing increasing concerned for their future. Even with new arrivals to our local pods, the population still needs to show clear signs of recovery. One action we hope will…
An orca whale is swimming in the ocean.

Environmentalists in court to extend protection for killer whales‎

By Judith Lavoie, Victoria Times Colonist VICTORIA – Environmental groups will be in court this week arguing the federal government is failing to adequately protect critical habitat for endangered and threatened pods of killer whales. Ecojustice lawyer Margot Venton is asking the Federal Court of Canada for a judicial review, claiming the government is acting…
A killer whale spy hopping

Law suit begins for protection of resident killer whales

Murray Langdon interviews Raincoast’s Misty MacDuffee about the federal government’s failure to protect the critical habitat of BC’s resident killer and the upcoming court case.
Don Arney with Gizmo

Days with Don

The field crew has just ended the final round of helicopter sites.  I stayed on terra firma for this round, and as such the past few days have taken on a more relaxed pace.  With my feet firmly on the ground and with time to reflect on the weeks gone by my head has been…
A man smiling on the deck of a boat.

Now protect grizzly habitat

Letter to the Editor, Edmonton Journal Re: Grizzlies at risk: province; Dwindling bears given threatened status,  The Journal, June 4. Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight should be commended for finally listing the province’s grizzly bears as a threatened species and for keeping the trophy hunting ban in place. However, he falls critically short by…
Two dolphins jumping out of the water in front of a forest.

The morning commute

Ever been thrilled with lots of traffic during your morning commute?  We were yesterday. Heading up a nearby channel to hit our bear hair-snagging stations, we encountered a herd of about 75 Pacific White Sided Dolphins. We maintained our course and speed and they chose to come play with us.
A man holding a piece of hair on a barbed wire fence.

Hair Extravaganza

We approach the site in silence, hoping to find evidence of an ursid visitor. Crouching close to the ground, we examine each barb along the 25 m of fencing we set up. Having set up 71 of these barbed wire hair snagging stations across 5000 square kilometers, our work now consists of returning to each…
Juvenile sockeye infected with sea lice as they migrate past fish farms in the Discovery Islands

Fish farms make louse-y migration routes

Fraser River sockeye returned in record low numbers last fall, one percent of what they were a century ago