Fuel spill highlights need for regulating boaters in Vancouver's False Creek | Daily Hive

Fuel spill highlights need for regulating boaters in Vancouver's False Creek (PHOTOS)

An apparent oil spill in False Creek (Submitted)

An apparent oil or fuel spill in False Creek has some nearby Vancouver residents concerned about pollution.

You may have noticed a small portion sectioned off if you’ve recently walked by False Creek in Vancouver. We’re unsure if this is related to the spill specifically.

A Daily Hive reader sent us some pictures of the spill and shared their concerns about the lack of regulations in and around False Creek regarding people anchoring in their boats.

We’ve reported on a couple of stories relating to boats and “junk boats” in False Creek over the last year, and at one point, there were about 100 illegal or decrepit boats anchored there.

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Submitted

We corresponded with the Coast Guard about this fuel spill in False Creek, and it’s still figuring out exactly what happened. Still, it told us that it could be related to several incidents, some of which may not even involve boats.

“It’s pretty normal for Coast Guard to receive reports of vessels discharging small amounts of fuel, or oil and fuel residue from land being washed into the water after a big rainfall.”

Submitted

Based on the pictures we were sent, it doesn’t look likely that it’s related to rainfall washing oil or fuel residue into the water. The reader who sent us the photos suggests that the area cordoned off is unrelated to the spill.

They believe it “was a boat that had sunk and is currently closed off to limit further contamination in False Creek.”

Are the rules being enforced?

“We’ve heard lots of concerns from residents about safety, pollution, and mobility in False Creek due to the number of boats anchored in the channel,” VPD said in a tweet earlier this year.

“These rules exist to make sure everyone has an opportunity to enjoy the water, and so everyone feels safe. In recent years, there’s been an increase in reports of dilapidated, unseaworthy, and unauthorized boats in False Creek, creating congestion, noise, garbage, and pollution.”

Shortly after our story about the approximately 100 boats floating around False Creek, they soon began to disappear. So today, you might see five or six boats out in False Creek, but it isn’t clear if this is related to VPD enforcement or is associated with the changing weather.

Boaters can receive a free permit from the City of Vancouver to drop anchor in False Creek for 14 of 30 days in summer and 21 of 40 days in winter. After their period is up, boaters are required to leave False Creek.

Rule violators can have boats removed or they could be fined.

Update:

The Coast Guard told us that while they did investigate the sheen in the area, it dissipated quickly so it wasn’t able to confirm a source.

With files from Kenneth Chan