Update
Organizers says it’s too difficult to restage the Gorge Swim Fest after it was cancelled last Sunday.
“We decided that we don’t have the resources — time and human resources — to pull it off,” said fest president Jack Meredith after a meeting Thursday night.
“We are absolutely going to have a swim fest next year,” he added. Full story [link]
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Original story
Contamination that caused the last-minute cancellation of Sunday’s Gorge Swim Fest appears to have resulted from the “deliberate dumping of septic tank sewage into a stormwater drain south of Esquimalt Gorge Park,” says the Township of Esquimalt.
“In my time, coming up eight years, this is the first time something of this nature has happened,” said Jeff Miller, director of engineering and public works in the municipality, which does not have any septic fields.
The perpetrator could have parked a vehicle over a manhole or catch basin with or without a pipe or pump to dispose of liquid or semi-liquid sewage, which “wasn’t a small amount,” Miller said.
He could not estimate the quantity, but suggested it might have been contained by a vacuum truck or very large motor home — something with a very concentrated source of sewage.
Lab results confirmed fecal coliform and E. coli in samples. It’s not known what type of disinfectant it is.
Municipal staff traced the contamination to the vicinity of Craigflower Road, but have not pinpointed the point of entry.
Gorge Creek runs underground and emerges at the surface near Tillicum Road and the Gorge Vale Golf Club, where it becomes an open channel, so any dumping there would have been quickly noticed, he said.
Swim Fest president Jim Meredith and other festival organizers noticed a foul smell coming from about 100 metres of the creek with a scummy appearance on Saturday night.
They cancelled the swim fest as a precautionary measure. It was expected to attract hundreds of participants.
Meredith said deliberate dumping does not mean malicious intent.
“They deliberately opened their valve, but I go to ignorance,” he said. Some people are just not aware that there is no “away” for pollutants introduced into the water system.
Meredith finds it difficult to picture someone with the kind of truck used in the septic waste business illegally dumping sewage. He wonders if visitors in a motor home discovered their tank was full when someone had to use the toilet and figured: “Oh well, Victoria doesn’t treat its sewage. Let’s just dump it in the drain.”
The public and their pets should avoid entering Gorge Creek until further notice, Esquimalt warns. However, Island Health says there is no risk to human health on Gorge waterway beaches.
Township staff will continue to review any leads they receive in the hope of finding the responsible party.
Swim Fest organizers will meet tonight to decide whether the event can be rescheduled. Many organizers planned their vacations for after the event and an army of volunteers must be considered, Meredith added.
The stink was first thought to be due to an algae bloom, but algae in the creek was likely killed by the disinfecting chemical, the township said. Lab results were analyzed by Island Health, the Capital Regional District, the B.C. Ministry of Environment and township staff. Additional testing will be carried out by Island Health and the township.
The province will sample creek water on a regular basis for the next week and five containment booms remain in place on the creek. The dumping does not appear to have affected any wildlife.
