A rupture in an oil tank on private property near Lake Cowichan caused a spill into the Cowichan River Tuesday morning.
Joe Fernandez, CAO of the Town of Lake Cowichan, said workers from the town got to the scene as soon as possible and began using materials to absorb as much of the oil as they could, but the expectation is that a lot of oil from the tank escaped into the river before the workers arrived.
He said officials from the province’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy were expected on the scene Tuesday afternoon to assess the situation and determine what the next steps should be in the efforts to clean what is left of the spill.
Fernandez said the ministry will also determine what actions, if any, will be taken against the landowner.