The Peninsula Streams Society is investigating after an undetermined substance spilled into SidneyB次元官网网址檚 Mermaid Creek, turning its waters a cloudy white Wednesday (March 29) evening.
Ian Bruce, the societyB次元官网网址檚 executive coordinator, said the spill was discovered around 7:30 p.m. in the waterway, which runs through urbanized areas and flows out into Roberts Bay.
B次元官网网址淲e got a call that there was this white stuff coming out of the culvert where the creek comes out into Roberts Bay,B次元官网网址� said Bruce. B次元官网网址淲e looked around and it looked like paint, smelled like paint, leading us to believe it is latex paint, but we are taking some samples into a local lab today to confirm what exactly it is. ItB次元官网网址檚 really quite disturbing.B次元官网网址�
Bruce said that just two weeks ago over 200 volunteer hours were spent planting more than 600 plants along the creekB次元官网网址檚 estuary as part of a larger $500,000 restoration project.
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Bruce did some initial investigating on March 29 to see if he could identify the source, but so far it has not been located. As of Thursday (March 30) morning, the creekB次元官网网址檚 water has returned to its normal state, but he noted that could be a result of high tide blocking the source of the leak, and it may return at low tide.
He and his team will be continuing to monitor the creekB次元官网网址檚 water quality at low tide, and will begin looking for signs of environmental damage, though that may not be noticeable immediately.
If the substance turns out to be latex paint, Bruce said it has the potential to harm plants, insects and fish spawning in the area. Even though latex paint is considered less harmful than some other types, he said it remains important not to ever pour it down drains where it could end up in vulnerable watersheds.
In a statement, Sidney Chief Administrative Officer Randy Humble confirmed paint entered the cityB次元官网网址檚 storm drain system from a residential painting project.
B次元官网网址淩esidents should take care when painting and performing property maintenance to ensure that harmful substances are not entering the townB次元官网网址檚 storm system. Municipal storm drains discharge into the ocean without prior treatment,B次元官网网址� wrote Humble.
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justin.samanski-langille@goldstreamgazette.com
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