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Sewage spills into Katzie Slough in Pitt Meadows

Metro cleaning spill, has called in environmental consultant
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A backhoe works on the site where sewage spilled into Katzie Slough on Friday. (Neil Corbett/The News)

There was a spill of sewage into the Katzie Slough on Friday.

The Metro Vancouver regional district’s sanitary station just east of Airport Way in Maple Ridge, which is located near the Golden Ears Bridge off-ramp, was the source of the spill.

Area residents reported the foul smells from the sewage.

On a City of Pitt Meadows social media page, citizens of the city residents posted they were gagging at the stench.

One person who posted also reported seeing many dead fish in the slough.

On Tuesday, there were Metro staff members at the scene with a backhoe, cleaning up the site.

READ ALSO: Saving the Katzie Slough seems simple

According to Metro spokesperson Don Bradley, the sanitary sewer overflow was reported around 7 a.m. and by around 9 a.m. Metro Vancouver staff had control of the overflow.

There were no impacts to service delivery or traffic, he said. A third-party environmental consultant was brought on site for monitoring and water sampling, and Emergency Management BC (EMBC) was notified.

“Metro Vancouver is currently reviewing the incident and will carry out all regulatory reporting as required,” he said.

READ ALSO: Construction underway on new pump station and wastewater storage tank in Maple Ridge

Metro is in the process of building a new $70 million pump station and storage tank at the site of the spill, but the incident involved an older, existing pump station.

The pump moves wastewater from Maple Ridge to a treatment plant in the Township of Langley.


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Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
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