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

dummy-img

Trophy hunters in the line of fire

By Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun June 12, 2009 Gary Shelton has shot his share of grizzlies over the years, but the bear he’s likely to be remembered for is the one he didn’t even kill.
dummy-img

eBay should halt trophy hunt sales

VUE WEEKLY June 11, 2009, Chris Genovali / raincoast.org There is an amazing array of things one can purchase on eBay, from used lawn furniture to vintage dolls to bongs allegedly used by Olympic athletes. Among the myriad items being sold on eBay are guided hunts of North America’s grizzly bears, black bears, wolves
dummy-img

Industrialization of coast looming

Guest column by Chris Genovali The Province, May 27, 2009 According to some expert claims, the B.C. Liberals’ re-election can be, in part, attributed to support for their climate-change policy, specifically the carbon tax.
paleolimnology workshop photo of someone measuring a core.

Applications of Paleolimnology

Leading scientists and researchers reviewed sediment core studies conducted in sockeye salmon nursery lakes in BC and Alaska.
dummy-img

Dr. Irene Gregory-Eaves

Department of Biology, McGill University Introduction to Paleolimnological techniques: What can lake sediments can tell us about past salmon abundance?
dummy-img

Dr. Daniel Schindler

School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington Translating variation in sediment 15N into pre-historical salmon population dynamics.
dummy-img

Dr. Bruce Finney

Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University The fate of salmon-derived nutrients: Insights from lake studies in Alaska.
dummy-img

B.C. Liberals show a paler shade of green

Idea that Liberal victory was due to climate policy is just plain silly By Chris Genovali, Special to the Times Colonist, May 22, 2009 Counterpunch, May 23 Reflecting on the noise of the just concluded provincial election, an amusing turn of phrase that appeared on the American political blog Firedoglake.com comes to mind: “Yea, Though…