Yet another oil tank leak into our creeks.

[Rockfish]

http://www.timescolonist.com/oil-spill-damage-at-colquitz-creek-minimized-by-fast-response-1.760186

This is getting ridiculous. It seems like once a month or so our salmon bearing streams are being poisoned by heating oil leaks. At least this one was caught early.

Time for a solution. We should be moving to gas or electric heat in the CRD.

Some possible steps:

A survey of all properties with 4 blocks of each stream to identify, drain/remove/cleanup old unused oil tanks at property owners expense.

A requirement for property owners to remove tanks as soon as they are no longer in use.

A mandatory inspection program of all active oil tanks and fuel lines every 6 months at owners expense with the capacity to order repairs or replacement. Replacements should be with gas or electric heat.

Require owners of oil tanks to carry expensive insurance not only to cover the cost of cleanup but also lost fish runs and damage to creeks and streams. In my view they are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions.

Ban the installation of future oil furnaces and tanks in the CRD starting with those within 4 blocks of streams and creeks. It should be gas or electric heat only.

 

[KV1]

Sad. In the north it is a requirement to have double walled fiberglass tanks now. If you don't have the specific tag on the tank the heating oil company wont fill it, simple as that. This guy will be on the hook if he does not have insurance for spills and the costs could be huge I know this from people that have had it happen 100000 minimum by the time everything is said and done. But the ban on heating oil is a bit extreme as it is used everywhere.

 

[scott craven]

Ban the installation of future oil furnaces and tanks in the CRD starting with those within 4 blocks of streams and creeks. It should be gas or electric heat only.

i don't think you will find many new homes with oil furnaces, it's not efficient enough.
most new homes are going heat pumps or natural gas.

 

[GDW]

We just bought a house that had oil heat. The first thing we did was pull it out. Lots if $ to convert but much cheaper then cleaning up a future leak inside or outside the home.