A broken feed line from a home heating oil tank appears to be to blame for the latest fuel spill in the region that’s seen a sheen of pollutants leak into area watersheds.
Saanich public works crews were notified of the sheen on Cecelia Ravine Creek in Victoria around noon on Friday (Feb. 8).
Within three hours, the source of the leak had been traced to a home on Harriet Road, near Burnside Road.
“It looks like the line’s been leaking for some time. We have no idea how much (has leaked), but it looks like, because it’s been dripping onto the soil for a while through the rain and winter, it’s gotten into the drain tile,” said Mike Ippen, Saanich’s manager of public works.
Booms were set up on the creek to prevent any more oil from leaking into the watershed, and Saanich crews intended to install booms inside some manholes between the property and the creek.
“The next step is monitoring. It’s now up to the property owner to deal with. They can fix the leak quickly, but they’ll be dealing with any contamination (cleanup and costs),” Ippen said.
Since November 2011, there have been at least nine known oil spills in Saanich, as a result of home heating tanks. Two of those spills saw a combined 1,600-plus litres contaminate Colquitz River.
kslavin@saanichnews.com