Conservation officers are investigating the alleged illegal dumping of several black garbage bags filled with plasterboard drywall at several sites along the Mamquam Forest Service Road.
The material, first discovered on May 17 and reported to The Chief by a reader, included drywall covered by "orange and yellow-patterned wallpaper covering, perhaps from an old bathroom or kitchen," the reader wrote.
The reader, who wrote on condition of anonymity because he fears retribution from the person or persons responsible, said the material included "10 industrial-grade black garbage bags full of old gyprock plasterboard from a renovation site" dumped at six locations along the Mamquam FSR, starting from just east of the Stawamus River crossing.
The reader called the dumping of the material "an abominable act" that shouldn't be tolerated.
Sgt. Chris Doyle of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service on Wednesday (May 25) said officers have launched an investigation into the matter, but he could provide no further details.
"Unfortunately it happens too frequently on that road," Doyle said.
Under B.C.'s Environmental Management Act, the maximum penalty for littering is $2,000, but if the material comes from a business and causes pollution or environmental degradation, the business can be fined up to $1 million, Doyle said.
Drywall contains chemicals that, when wet, can leach into groundwater and become a contaminant that's toxic to flora and fauna. Because of that, landfills in B.C. charge a fee to cover the cost of proper disposal of drywall. The fee at the Squamish landfill is $140 per tonne.
In March, a Squamish resident admitted dumping old drywall at a trailhead near downtown Squamish after a person who witnessed the dumping reported it to authorities. In the earlier incident, the man was issued a violation ticket and ordered to retrieve the material and ensure its proper disposal.
