City workers have brought in special filtration equipment after gas was discovered in the soil near Mission Creek three weeks ago.
(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)
August 26, 2014 - 5:56 PM
KELOWNA – Crews upgrading the stretch of Lakeshore Road south of Mission Creek Bridge dug something up three weeks ago that wasn’t supposed to be there.
“We had an area contaminated by gas,” says project manager Purvez Irani. “We are going through the environmental (clean-up) process now. At this stage it’s looking like (it came from) the gas station.”
The contaminated area was discovered three weeks ago when crews first dug holes and pumped out the water. A nearby business-owner says he noticed the odour after the water had already been pumped into Mission Creek.
Irani says there was indeed an odour of gasoline at the time, but denies that Mission Creek was ever contaminated.
“After a contamination is discovered, all water is filtered and there was no contamination to Mission Creek or (Okanagan) Lake,” he says. “That is the best information we have.”
Six cubic metres of soil had to be removed and Irani says all water was filtered either on site or at a treatment plant.
City of Kelowna design technician Ryan O’Sullivan says the contaminated soil was found roughly two metres underground and removed. He says it was likely caused when a nearby gas station upgraded their holding tanks three years ago.
“These things happen,” Irani says. “At any construction site you discover things in the ground that aren’t supposed to be there. It’s nothing we can’t handle.”
Irani says work on the west side of Lakeshore where the gas was found will be completed this week and he expects no lasting effects.
The City contracts Golder Associates to monitor and report on environmental issues the $11-million project may create or uncover. Irani says, barring any more surprises, they will make their November completion date as scheduled.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014