On August 1, 2019 untreated wastewater was flowing for a brief time from a manhole on the foreshore in front of Judges Row in Qualicum Beach. It is standard practice when an event such as this occurs, a shellfish closure may result. As of today, at 1:05 pm the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada have issued an Emergency Closure for Bivalve Shellfish near French Creek. Please see the map for the affected area below. For details on all current shellfish closures in BC please visit: www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/contamination/index-eng.html.
The event was reported to Emergency Management BC, and contact was made with the Ministry of Environment. Notices were delivered to nearby residents and placed at the public beach accesses nearby. An investigation by RDN staff into the cause of the leak is currently underway.