Foam in Gorge Waterway concerns Victoria resident

CHEK

A Victoria woman is concerned about possible pollution in the Gorge Waterway after she noticed what appeared to be foam floating along the water’s surface this weekend and last. Calvin To has more. 

Victoria resident Kristine Clarke is concerned about possible pollution in the Gorge Waterway after she noticed mounds of foam floating on the water’s surface this weekend and last.

Clarke took several pictures of what appeared to be foam over the weekend. She says it happened on both Saturday and Sunday morning and disappeared after about a couple hours when the tide came in.

She says she contacted the District of Saanich and later heard back from a representative at Environment Canada, who said they would investigate.

CHEK News was informed Monday by Environment Canada that it had been notified about the occurrence and that an investigation is underway.

At the same time, the south Island has been experiencing very low tides. On Monday, an expert told CHEK News that the tide was measured in Victoria at seven centimetres lower than predicted, which was likely the result of a high pressure system combined with a new moon.

The low tides, in addition to high summer traffic, could have contributed to some delays at B.C. Ferries over the weekend.

Darren Johnston, B.C. Ferries’ director of fleet operations, told CHEK News that strong tides can reduce a ship’s ability to make up for lost time.

“We can’t take shortcuts and load the ship too quickly. We don’t want any accidents during the loading process, and of course, when we’re navigating the ships, especially when there’s a strong flood or ebb tides, we don’t want to take any unnecessary risk,” Johnston said.

It is not known whether low tides are connected in any way with the appearance of foam in the Gorge Waterway.

Calvin ToCalvin To

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