Update: Dec. 12, 2023
While the Canadian Coast Guard continues efforts to remove the sheen more than a week after it appeared, its source is still being investigated.
Original: Dec. 6, 2023
An unwelcome sight is greeting those walking, liking, and floating around the eastern portion of False Creek.
The sheen of what appears to be an oil-like substance is washing against the rocks and boats in the body of water.
James Cooper, a resident of Olympic Village says he smelled fumes Monday night, (Dec. 4) during the heavy downpour.
"The next day, Tuesday, I came down here," he tells V.I.A., standing on the south bank of False Creek near the Canoe Bridge. "I saw the oil slick on the water by the shoreline."
The extent of the slick is unclear, but Cooper says he's been told it extends as far as Granville Island by others walking along the seawall. Cooper showed V.I.A video he shot of the mysterious substance on the water near Cambie Bridge.
"When I was down by Mahony's I noticed that there were little bubbles coming up in a spot and then it would bleed out, it would spread out like a big circle," he describes. "And these things are popping up periodically down in the water."
The Coast Guard is aware of the sheen; it was reported to them around 6:20 p.m. on Monday but they weren't able to assess the situation at the time due to the heavy rain.
"A crew from our Kitsilano base conducted an assessment in False Creek (Dec. 5) and observed multiple patches of non-recoverable rainbow sheen in the area, however, they were unable to locate a potential source," states a spokesperson.
The Coast Guard is continuing to investigate, with boats in the water Wednesday. While the source of the spill is still uncertain, they note that one possibility they're investigating is whether the "product could be the result of land-based outfalls in the area after recent rain events."
From what Cooper has seen, he believes that it could have come from a city outflow on the south side. City maps show there is a storm main that ends at the base of Columbia Street near Habitat Island (which has been closed). Another ends underneath Cambie Bridge.
