Courtenay, BC – The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) would like to extend its sincere thanks to the residents, and businesses in the Town of Comox, City of Courtenay, and K’ómoks First Nation for their efforts to help reduce sewage flows on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Flow was reduced by approximately 50% which helped to enable crews to complete the required repairs to the sewage leak.
“The community's response to the appeal to reduce flows to the sewer system was impressive and helped expedite the repair and reduce the impact on the marine environment,” said Kris La Rose, General Manager of Engineering Services. “Planning for the recovery is ongoing, but extensive environmental monitoring started yesterday and will continue for the foreseeable future.”
CVRD staff as well as contractors were deployed on May 26 to address a leak from temporary bypass piping at the Comox Pump Station. The volume of leaking wastewater and the location of the leak, added to the complexity of the repair. Operators were stationed at all the Comox Valley sewage pump stations to modulate flow. This provided a short window of time that a specialized dive team was able to access and close a valve to isolate and resolve the leak.
Photo caption: Diver photo provided by "Ven-Tech Subsea"
There were no injuries, and the safety of workers, the public, and the environment remains our top priority.
CVRD wastewater operations estimate that approximately 6,000 cubic meters of wastewater was spilled into the lagoon adjacent to the pump station and neighbouring Comox Marina. Spill response was swift, sandbag barriers were used as well as spill containment booms.
The Comox Pump Station has been undergoing retrofitting as part of the Sewer Conveyance Project. The upgrade work has been put on hold to allow focus on the cleanup and investigation into the leak.
The work to complete the repair and mitigate environmental risks could not have been possible without the combined efforts of the contractors, including expert divers, environmental consultants as well as Town of Comox and K’ómoks First Nation staff and collaboration with all our municipal partners and all relevant governments and agencies. The CVRD will continue to liaise with them to closely monitor the recovery and cleanup efforts.
As a precaution, the community is advised that the following activities should be avoided within the Comox Harbour and Estuary, including Royston, Gartley Point, Dyke Road, Courtenay Air Park, and Goose Spit until further notice:
- Swimming
- Kayaking
- Paddleboarding
- Paddling/Splashing
- Fishing off the dock/breakwater or gathering shellfish
Please keep people, children and animals out of the water.
The CVRD will continue to conduct testing at the spill location and impacted waters and shorelines. As water testing and analysis takes time, an update to the community will be shared early next week as results are available.
Boating and fishing outside the Comox Harbour remains safe.
The Comox Valley Regional District is a partnership of three electoral areas and three municipalities operating on the unceded traditional territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, the traditional keepers of the land. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on providing sustainable services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.
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Media Contact:
Kris La Rose, P.Eng.
General Manager of Engineering Services
Tel: 250-334-6083