Sewage leaks into Capilano River on Metro Vancouver's North Shore

Officials are investigating after raw sewage started spilling into the Capilano River, one of the largest rivers flowing through Metro Vancouver's North Shore.

The Squamish Nation, whose territories encompass much of North Vancouver, first reported the leak publicly on Friday. B.C.'s environment ministry later said it first heard about the sewage four days earlier, flowing out a storm drain outfall pipe from a private property near Fullerton Avenue in West Vancouver.

Wilson Williams, an elected councillor and spokesperson for the Squamish Nation, said the spill was concerning.

"[And] not just for our Squamish Nation community, but also the general public, especially our everyday users of not just the river but down the beaches as well."

In a tweet, the nation advised the public to stay clear of water in the area — whether it be fishing, swimming or bathing.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy told CBC News it was alerted to the leak by the District of North Vancouver on Monday around 12:45 p.m. PT.

An email Saturday said the ministry was responding to the leak, which was leaving a private property and entering the Capilano River via a storm drain outfall pipe at 2020 Fullerton Ave.

'Actions to mitigate and stop discharge'

In a second statement Sunday, the ministry said Vancouver-based Wynford Property Management represents the property owner where the leak originated. 

The property management company went to the site Sunday alongside a provincial environment response officer and representatives from the Squamish Nation and District of North Vancouver. 

The ministry said the exact source of discharge has not yet been confirmed, but said Wynford has "taken actions to mitigate and stop discharge into Capilano River."

The nation is investigating possible ecological damage from the spill and has put signs up warning visitors to the area over the spill.

"We're worried about ... the spiritual and mental health of the community," said Williams. "We use this area as a sacred space for bathing, ceremony use, but also if we look at simply the fishing — we're closely connected with our fish hatchery up at Cleveland Dam, they recently released a lot of salmon fry into the river and it's huge concern."

The ministry said it's unclear how much sewage has been leaking into the water and a plumbing consultant could not determine the exact source of the sewage.

Metro Vancouver, which manages the region's water supply, deferred to the ministry when approached for an interview, as did the District of North Vancouver.

The ministry's update on the spill said water samples from around the outfall pipe were delivered to a local lab for analysis, with samples from the nearby Squamish Nation reserve to be analyzed Monday.

The Capilano River flows through the Coast Mountains in Metro Vancouver and, at a high point, feeds the Capilano Reservoir at the Cleveland Dam — one of three reservoirs that provide drinking water to the Metro Vancouver region.

Fullerton Avenue is around two kilometres from where the river empties into the Burrard Inlet near Ambleside Park and the Lions Gate Bridge.

The river also contains a large salmon hatchery, run by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. A representative of the hatchery said in an email that the leak had been reported to the department's fish and fish habitat protection program.