Some Yarrow residents and farmers are curious if any residual contamination remains after an unknown quantity of antifreeze leaked into the environment.
The antifreeze spill was the result of a gas station fire that broke out on Yarrow Central Road on March 21.
The Progress has learned from Ministry of Environment that the Esso station property owner has retained environmental assessment professionals to assess the “extent of contamination” and to ensure ongoing “containment and clean-up” at the spill site.
The blaze started when a vehicle on a lift in one of the bays went up in flames some time after 10 a.m. The fire was extinguished by about noon.
Antifreeze, which is a coolant based on ethylene glycol, travelled from the fire site into the nearby Sharon ditch.
Cleanup efforts have been underway since.
But calls came in again recently to the city when some evidence of the antifreeze product resurfaced after some heavy rains in late March.
The ministry spokesman downplayed any worries.
“The spilled antifreeze contains a green fluorescent dye that would be visible even under antifreeze concentrations that do not pose a risk to the environment or to human health,” said Suntanu Dalal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment.
He stated City of Chilliwack had taken samples at the site, and “test results indicate contaminant concentrations that do not pose harm to the environment.”
Remedial measures will be monitored to ensure “environmental protection” is achieved, said Dalal.
“We’re lucky we’re upstream from the spill,” said Nevin Gavigan, an organic farmer at the Yarrow Ecovillage.
But a chemical spill of any kind is “definitely” of concern to area residents, and to the other farmers in the area.
“We were wondering what spilled and how far it would travel,” he said.
“We were surprised it could happen. But with a fire anything can happen I guess.”
Any incident that could jeopardize their organic certification is cause for concern, he added.
Fraser Health, City of Chilliwack and Ministry of Agriculture have all been involved in ensuring that the emergency response taken in the wake of the spill addresses their area of jurisdiction, said Dalal.
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
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