VANCOUVER - Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced today that a Surrey-based concrete contractor has been fined $4,800 under the Fisheries Act for discharging a pollutant into a local fish stream. 

Bright Star Concrete Ltd. pleaded guilty in B.C. Provincial Court to discharging concrete effluent into upper Fleetwood Creek in Surrey. The creek is home to coho salmon and cutthroat trout, and is a tributary of the Serpentine River.  

In February 2001, fishery officers received an anonymous tip about pollution entering the creek. Once on scene, fishery officers observed employees of Bright Star hosing down a recently poured exposed aggregate concrete driveway. Samples of the driveway wash-off water, or concrete effluent, were collected from several nearby stormdrain catch basins.  

Test results showed that the driveway wash water had pH values that are harmful to aquatic life. Concrete effluent, which is produced when the surface of unhardened concrete is washed to create exposed aggregate, can kill fish in minutes because of its highly alkaline pH level that is corrosive to fish gills and eyes. The fine sediment in concrete wash water can also smother incubating salmon eggs in spawning gravel and fish food organisms in streams. 

Of the total $4,800 penalty, the court ordered the company to pay $200 as a fine, and $3,800 to Fisheries and Oceans Canada to promote the proper collection and disposal practices of concrete effluent in the concrete ready-mixed industry. An additional $800 will cover costs to clean up the spill at the site. 

The Department has worked cooperatively with the B.C. Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, private companies and other government agencies to promote the conservation of fish and fish habitat through safe practices in the use of concrete.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is concerned about activities that can harm fish stocks and asks for assistance from the general public in providing information about suspected pollution or habitat destruction. Anyone with information is asked to call the toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336.

Contact:

Sue Bunten
Groundfish Enforcement Co-ordinator
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(604) 666 - 6464