The Cheakamus and 樱桃视频Rivers were declared safe for recreational use a little less than 36 hours after a CN train derailed and spilled 41,000 litres of sodium hydroxide into the Cheakamus, but Thor Froslev of Brackendale is convinced the winter eagle population is facing lean years ahead.
Despite the safe water declaration from authorities, eagle advocate Froslev said he expects the eagles of 樱桃视频will face starvation in the years ahead.
"They [CN] washed that sucker clean," Froslev said.
He feels that greed is at the root cause of what happened last week in the Cheakamus Canyon.
"I'm very, very worried about eagles and I'm very, very happy I'm doing the eagle drop-in clinic," he said.
The Brackendale Art Gallery owner is currently building an eagle tower to house injured eagles and he said construction of the tower is happening just on time as he expects the fish kill in the Cheakamus is going to turn the tower into a drop-in clinic for starving eagles.
Froslev is critical of the B.C. government's descision to lease the former B.C. Rail operations in a long-term agreement with CN Rail.
"We had the perfect crew that knew exactly what to do with this West Coast terrain," Froslev said. "That bastard over in Victoria, Gordon Campbell, sold our railway to an American company."
The District of 樱桃视频(DOS) declared through a news release issued on Saturday (Aug. 6) at 5:30 p.m. that the waters of the Cheakamus and the 樱桃视频were safe for recreational use all the way downstream to the 樱桃视频River Estuary and the Spit.
Acidic-alkaline testing of the water confirmed on Saturday (Aug. 6) that the Cheakamus and 樱桃视频Rivers, downstream from the train derailment, were at normal, safe levels.
Testing of wells within 100 metres of the Cheakamus River, from Chance Creek south to the 樱桃视频estuary took longer to undertake so the DOS recommended the wells not be used until further notice or declared safe by a public health officer.
Affected well users were given access to safe drinking water, which was distributed in bottles at the North Vancouver Outdoor School.
On Monday (Aug. 8) Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) announced the wells along the Cheakamus River were safe for use again. The communication with those living near the river or recreating in the river improved in the days after the rail crash, but residents and river users complained they were not told soon enough of the sodium hydroxide spill upstream.
Many people were in the stream as much as five hours after the incident. People reliant on wells in the Cheakamus Valley were using their water for much of the day before they found out about the chemical spill.
Environment ministry fish biologist Brian Clark said the thousands of dead fish in the river system posed no danger to wildlife feeding off the carcasses. He explained the dead fish were not contaminated by the sodium [email protected]
