The City of Victoria confirms they're investigating the possibility of pollution in the storm water system that feeds Cecilia Creek and eventually the Gorge Waterway.
Victoria's Acting Director of Engineering and Public Works, William Doyle, says the investigation stems from a claim made by a contributor to the social media website Reddit.
"A very concerning post on Reddit caught our attention through the night and into the morning. Like any incident where there's the possibility of storm water quality being of concern we reported it to our partner agencies that include the Ministry of Environment and Fisheries and Oceans Canada."
Doyle says, to his knowledge, nobody has been able to reach the Reddit poster who original brought up the concern. He also confirmed that, at this time, it's just an investigation into the online post and they had not yet found physical evidence of the spill. Crews were out looking as of Tuesday afternoon.
However, just last week on July 8 they did find a concerning white coloured discharge in the same waterway.
"We can't be certain about the particulars of the spill on Reddit. But what was observed on July 8th was a very obvious white discharge in Cecilia Creek," says Doyle.
Victoria has mailed information to area businesses regarding discharges of business waste to storm water pipes.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy says it is aware of the situation and is working with the City of Victoria to determine the source and any potential environmental impacts.
Island Health says currently there are no beach advisories in place at Banfield Park dock on the Gorge. They will continue with water quality monitoring and will review test results and update beach advisories as needed.