Stream watchers concerned artificial turf field is shedding potentially hazardous material
The Greater Victoria School District says it is aware and has taken steps to mitigate the issue
A society of stream watchers on Vancouver Island says the material from an artificial turf field at a local school is breaking loose and could threaten a nearby creek.
The field at Oak Bay High School, just outside Victoria, B.C., was only replaced a few years ago after clumps of artificial grass were found near the creek.
This time, they say it's the underlying rubber that is disintegrating.
"This is kind of the second disaster in three years and a completely different problem," said Gerald Harris, a director with the Friends of Bowker Creek Society.
While chunks of rubber big enough to fit in his palm have been found in the creek, Harris said it's more concerning when they're tracked into the parking lot and then flattened by tires.
At that point, he says he worries they will disintegrate into toxins and be washed into the creek once fall rains come.
School district taking action
The society acknowledges that the school district has stepped up to try and prevent the clumps from spreading, including weekly cleanups and filters in storm drains.
In a statement emailed to CBC News, School District 61 (Greater Victoria) said it has been in talks for weeks with the supplier of the turf.
It says an investigation shows the clumps are leaving the field on footwear, so it has locked gates on the creek side of the field — forcing players to exit the field as far from the creek as possible.
It says it has also installed a vinyl wrap along the fencing, has moved some groups to other fields so the turf is used less, and will clean the area on Fridays and Mondays now that the field is busier with school and fall soccer in session.
"The District will commit to walking the site and surrounding pathways daily to monitor the situation and will have crews available as required," said the statement.
It added that the clumping will "decrease substantially" once the weather cools.
Chemical compound dangerous to salmon
Harris says the turf is made of old tires, which contain toxins.
Just a few years ago, researchers in Washington state discovered a family of chemical compounds in tires that is extremely toxic to coho salmon even in low doses — and potentially toxic to all salmon at higher doses.
Now, researchers on Vancouver Island are working with community groups to collect data about the compound called 6PPD-quinone.
WATCH | Stream watch volunteer explains the danger:
Erik Krogh, a professor of chemistry at Vancouver Island University, is one of those researchers.
He says it's still "an open question" whether the rubber in artificial turf is dangerous, but he says it's worth studying anything made with recycled tires.
"It's especially important when you've got contact with these products and rainwater in close proximity to fish-bearing streams," said Krogh.
Bowker Creek hadn't been a salmon-bearing stream for nearly a century, but work has been done to rehabilitate it.
Salmon eggs successfully hatched there last year, and Harris said it's hoped salmon may return to spawn in 2024.
While those salmon are chum, not coho, Harris is still concerned about the health of the creek.
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