Residents in B.C.’s Comox Valley can now use toilets, dishwashers, laundry, and other household water-related equipment again.
The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) says in a statement that repairs have been successfully completed, and the sewage leak has been stopped.
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Earlier on Tuesday, CVRD issued a warning a sewer use warning due to ‘ongoing emergency’ for Courtenay, Comox and the K’omoks First Nation.
It urged residents to avoid flushing toilets, showering, or bathing, and not use dishwashers or washing machines.
The precautions were necessary because of a major sewer leak that occurred on Tuesday morning near the Comox Marina.
Until further notice, residents are asked to continue to:
Engineering services general manager Kris La Rose said in an earlier statement that all devices that drain water into the sewer system — including toilets — should not be used until further notice.
“Crews have been onsite since that time working to resolve the leak and minimize impacts to residents, businesses, and the surrounding environment,” the statement read.
“CVRD staff and contractors are working hard to have the leak repaired as soon as possible, updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”
Area resident Steve Jones said the regional district sent out text messages and emails around noon, notifying residents about the problem.
Jones said he visited the Comox Marina, where he saw the leak coming from the pump station and flowing into the ocean at a “good rate.”
“It was really smelly. It was really bad because of the way the wind was blowing. It smelled pretty horrible,” said Jones, adding that he didn’t stay long.
Jones also posted a video of the sewage leak on his Facebook page, saying, “I think they should have at least thrown some hay bales across the creek to catch some of the solids.”
He lives in an area that isn’t connected to the city’s sewer system.
“The urban areas are connected to the central sewage system, and then if you’re outside of the boundaries, a lot of people are still on individual septic systems with a septic tank and a septic field,” said Jones.
Jones said he has to pay for all the maintenance and get his septic system pumped out occasionally, but he had no complaints on Tuesday.
“But for today, it’s a lucky day,” said Jones.
The ban also applies to harvesting any shellfish or other marine resources from the area affected by the emergency.
The regional district also warns people to avoid swimming or boating in the ocean near the shoreline, as well as in the areas of Goose Spit and Comox Marina.
Children and pets should also be kept away from beaches and estuary access points at this time.
In an interview with 1130 NewsRadio, Bob Wells, Mayor of Courtenay, says that it is important to get the information out as soon as possible.
“Until you hear differently, we are letting all residents know not to flush, and basically follow the Comox Valley Regional District’s alerts on their Facebook page, website, and people can sign up for emergency notifications as well. Highly recommend that not just for these incidents, but for any other ones that may happen,” Wells said.
He encourages residents to check in with neighbours and let them know if the information has not reached them yet.
He says that all responsible staff of the City of Courtenay, the Town of Comox, and the CVRD are currently working on fixing the issue.
– With files from Jan Schuermann.
