UPDATE:
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) and Tymac inspected the outflow pipe and determined that the liquid was rainwater that had come into contact with a waste bin’s iron surface and oxidized.
GVHA added that the liquid was non-toxic and posed no risk to the environment or human health.
The City of Victoria and Ministry of Environment have been notified.
—original:
An investigation is underway after alleged pollution to the ocean near Victoria’s breakwater was spotted.
Earlier this week, a post surfaced on the Victoria sub-Reddit which showed runoff from a pipe being deposited in the ocean waters near Ogden Point.
This runoff was allegedly taking place from the work yard of Tymac Launch Service, who among other things, handle waste management for cruise ships docking at Ogden Point.
The alleged deleterious runoff substances, or substances that could cause harm to the ocean, were then reported to the City of Victoria and other authorities.
The organization responsible for handling investigations into matters such as these is Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
ECCC is specifically responsible for administering and enforcing pollution prevention provisions in accordance with the Fisheries Act.
This act prohibits the depositing of deleterious substances into waters that are frequented by fish.
ECCC told Victoria Buzz that enforcement officers were notified of this incident and will be conducting an inspection to verify the business’s compliance with the federal Fisheries Act.
They added that if enforcement officers find evidence of an alleged violation, they will take appropriate action, which according to the Fisheries Act, could include anything from remediation of the impacted area or financial penalties.
However, ECCC stipulated that to protect the integrity of enforcement processes, results of inspections and investigations are not made public.
The investigation of this instance of alleged illegal dumping remains open, according to ECCC.
