The Cougar Creek Streamkeepers are reminding North Delta residents that all storm drains – marked with a yellow fish or not – empty into a salmon stream.
The reminder comes after a woman out on a walk along the creek on June 22 photographed an unknown milky substance in the water.
While the source of the spill has not been located, Streamkeeper Deborah Jones estimated that the substance entered a storm drain around Sunshine Hills, then flowed to a storm sewer outfall near Westview Drive and into the creek.
READ MORE: Spawning salmon returning to North Delta’s Cougar Creek
“There are currently thousands of tiny wild coho salmon fry in Cougar Creek, that hatched early this year and will – if they survive – head out to the ocean in spring 2020,” said Jones.
“One of the greatest threats to their survival is creek pollution caused by uninformed or careless residents pouring or hosing toxic substances down storm drains.”
Jones said polluted water includes dirty water from car washing, power washing, hosing of wet concrete and pumping of foundation excavations.
“Even drainage from hot tubs and swimming pools can be lethal to salmon and other aquatic life, due to the chlorine and bromine used as disinfectants,” she said.
“Divert all these water sources into your landscaping, or into the sewage system via a drain in a sink or tub.”
For more information contac the Streamkeepers at 604-594-5377 or 604-596-3967.
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