Vancouver Coastal Health has lifted the beach advisory at Ambleside Park that’s been in place since oil hit the shores of West Vancouver April 9. But public warnings are still in place for nearby John Lawson Park.
“It’s still an area we’re looking at, so we’re getting repeat samples and then we’ll make another decision,” said Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, chief medical health officer for the North Shore.
The beaches closed to the public after the Marathassa bunker fuel leak on April 8 in English Bay.
The last time crews were on scene to do tests at John Lawson Park was Friday. Those results are expected in the next day or two.
Even though other West Vancouver beaches are open, Lysyshyn warned that small amounts of oil could still turn up.
“We expect people to find the odd rock that has spots of oil on it. It’s better not to come into contact with the oil, but small amounts of it don’t cause immediate or long-term health effects. If you were exposed to it regularly over time, that would be bad,” he said.
Vancouver Coastal Health is also monitoring a waterfront area between 28th and 31st streets, where an advisory sign still stands.
The crab fishing ban, meanwhile, remains in effect. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) closed harvesting of shellfish and ground fish throughout Burrard Inlet last month as a precautionary measure.
Lysyshyn anticipates it’ll be a while until DFO can determine if any underwater life was contaminated.
Jeff McDonald, spokesman for the District of West Vancouver, said it will also be some time before the municipality knows how much the clean-up efforts will cost.
“It’s ongoing. It’s not over. We’re still spending money,” he said. “However, there is a process in place whereby the affected municipalities will do all they can do to recover what they spent so the impact on the taxpayer is negligible.”
McDonald added it’s unlikely 100 per cent of the costs to the district will be reimbursed.
