Dear editor,
Re: Estuary slick a mystery to City – Comox Valley Record, Dec. 15:
Firstly, kudos and sincere thanks to Record editor Terry Farrell and letter-writer Steve Wilson (Mystery slick no mystery – Dec. 22) for recognizing the detrimental effect of hydrocarbons in our waterways, and taking the time to verify and document the contaminant slick.
I witnessed the same slick that Terry filmed at the Airpark that same day and noted its widespread nature along the Courtenay River shoreline and into small embayments where it remained for a couple of days.
Also, Steve was not alone in his observations of the City dumping street snow into the Courtenay River at the Central Builders site – I have spoken with others who also viewed the dumping.
While there was no odour apparent to City investigators, as there would be at a “fresh hydrocarbon spill,” it’s not too surprising, as this was neither fresh, nor a spill. The hydrocarbon from our streets was already old and diluted before it even hit the Courtenay River from the City’s dump trucks, but that doesn’t mean it won’t continue to create harm in our waterways for a considerable length of time. And yes, there was a rainbow sheen as one would find in a petroleum-related slick, seen by myself and others. Natural biofilm is nowhere near as colourful!
As there is every possibility of more large snowfalls this winter, it is comforting to know that the City does not dump its snow hauls into the estuary as stated by a City department manager in the Dec. 15 article. It would also be very beneficial if these dumps did not occur in any of our Valley waterways.
As a society we must move away from the mindset of disposing our urban precipitation (“stormwater”) directly into our rivers, lakes and oceans, and start operating “Water Wise” by filtering and returning this valuable resource to our aquifers and waterways through environmentally friendly structures such as rain gardens, bio-swales and infiltration galleries.
Bill Heidrick
Courtenay