It looks like Squamish residents can go ahead and plant their carrots and potatoes without fear, and eat that winter kale without worry.
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) agrees there was no long-term impact to Squamish soil or air quality due to the April 16 Squamish Terminals dock fire that burned for three days, according to a news release sent out by the Terminals last week.
“VCH has reviewed the monitoring report, Monitoring of Air Quality and Deposition Squamish Terminals East Dock Fire, prepared by Envirochem Services Inc… and agrees with the report’s conclusions,” reads the release.
The report concludes that there is no evident risk of “contamination of soil or vegetation as a result of the Squamish Terminals fire air emissions. In addition, there was no evidence of unacceptable air quality or risk for adverse exposure at sensitive receptor locations monitored downwind of the fire.”
The Terminals has hired a consultant to do a long-term investigation of the marine environment to look for evidence of any impact from the fire, according to Kim Stegeman-Lowe of the Squamish Terminals. The results of that study will be made public, she said.
“While the emergency response to the fire is winding up and the clean up of debris is almost complete, we still have a long road ahead,” said Stegeman-Lowe. “The focus now is on our business operation, customer and community relations and rebuilding our dock.”
Stegeman-Lowe said the company is working with various contractors and insurers to see how long it will be before a new dock is complete. She said she wasn’t sure yet what exactly the dock will be made out of, but likely steel or concrete as those are the most common materials used for modern docks.
Almost all the pilings and surface refuse from the fire has been removed by barge and now debris from the ocean floor is being dredged up and removed, according to Stegeman-Lowe. This process should take about a week, she said.
Debris from the fire is shipped to Ecowaste Industries, a Lower Mainland facility.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman said she has been thinking back to almost a decade ago, when approximately 29,000 litres of bunker fuel leaked from a freighter in Howe Sound. At the time there were many in Squamish who didn’t feel a proper clean-up was done.
“I have confidence that the Terminals, they are a good corporate community citizen, so they will make sure that the ongoing monitoring and the work needed if there is remediation will be done appropriately,” she said. “You look back at the spill that happened [in 2006] and the responsible party in that one was the ship and there was very little follow-up or even testing.” Heintzman said with the fire, she trusts that things will be made right.
Stegeman-Lowe said that an investigation into what caused the fire is still ongoing.
