The Editor,
Re. "Fish kill source is still sought" (The Tri-City News, June 6).
It only takes the carelessness, thoughtlessness or malicious action of a single individual to destroy life in our waterways.
Unfortunately, this occurred last week in Coquitlam's Hoy Creek.
A highly toxic substance was dumped into a storm drain. This substance proceeded to kill thousands of fish and other aquatic animals in Hoy Creek.
The loss of our hatchery salmon was dramatic. We, as hatchery volunteers, have spent countless hours raising our fish. We lost a good many of them in an instant. The losses amongst the wild fish populations are truly heartbreaking as these are the populations we work hard to protect. They are priceless.
It has been more than a week since this occurred. I return to look at the creek to find a single coho fry present at the hatchery bridge, a place where hundreds of wild fish lived a short while ago.
Please be mindful: Everything entering a storm drain ends up in a creek. Creeks contain aquatic life that can’t survive pollution being dumped into the habitat.
We all have a duty to steward and protect the environment in which we live.
Should you witness any suspected pollution being dumped into a storm drain, please take immediate action to report it to the authorities:
• Coquitlam engineering 24-hour emergency line (municipal): 604-927-3500;
• Observe, Record, Report (federal): 1-800-465-4336;
• Report All Poachers and Polluters (provincial): 1-877-952-RAPP.
Rodney Lee, Hoy/Scott Watershed Society
