West Vancouver has reopened the beach at Eagle Harbour after water tests showed no health problems associated with a recent leak of raw sewage into the ocean.
A pipe break in the 5500-block of Gallagher Place caused 60,000 litres of raw sewage to be dumped into the ocean on the morning of June 23, which led the district to close the beach.
The pipe belongs to Metro Vancouver, and spokesman Bill Morrell said the sewage is already highly diluted in the pipes, and becomes much more so when released into the ocean. Tests over the weekend showed normal levels of bacteria.
He said the pipe had simply deteriorated through normal wear and tear, and that section was replaced by crews later Thursday afternoon.
"This is the first significant break I can recall this year. They're infrequent, unwelcome whenever they happen, but again you're dealing with pipes in the ground and they deteriorate and that's just the nature of infrastructure," he said.
