Nearly three years after a barge carrying a two-storey lodge partially sank off Quadra Island, B.C., plans are finally afoot to have it removed.
Holly Fink, a co-owner of Jade Resort, has had a front-row view of the situation since it began unfolding in September 2021. She told CBC’s All Points West that the lodge previously looked “pretty solid,” but its condition has degraded rapidly since April.
Parts of the building have fallen off and littered the water. A freezer washed up on shore. And a few weeks ago, she said, the roof buckled.
“It was quite the sight to watch that happen. Actually hearing it happen was bigger than seeing it happen,” Fink said.
The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says the province is now coordinating with Transport Canada to remove the barge, as its recent deterioration is spreading debris and risking further impact to local communities.
Quadra Island sits between Vancouver Island and the mainland, about 200 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.
The province and Transport Canada will share the costs of the removal, which will be determined through the procurement process, according to the ministry. It also says the larger cleanup should be completed in the fall.
“We are committed to removal of the structure and loose debris in the area as quickly as possible,” the ministry said in a statement to CBC News.
In the meantime, the province said there are protection booms in place to contain the pollution. It is also working with the We Wai Kai Nation and Wei Wai Kum Guardians, a group that works to protect and monitor the territory’s ecosystem, to ensure debris doesn’t leave the site.
Daniel Hurry with the Wei Wai Kum Guardians told CBC’s All Points West they are monitoring the site twice a week to ensure the structural integrity of the containment system. He hopes everything will be cleaned up by mid October.
“It is definitely a unique one, with there being no actual pollution spill of a substance or a chemical,” Hurry said, adding that the guardians usually deal with diesel or oil spills.
All Points West5:03Wei Wah Kum Guardians and We Wah Kai Nation work to contain debris from submerged hotel
Daniel Hurry, the Guardian Manager of Wei Wah Kum First Nation, discusses his Guardians efforts in partnership with the We Wah Kai Nation to contain the debris coming from the half-sunken hotel off of Quadra Island, as plans are put in place by the province and Transport Canada to remove it.
He added that following the barge removal, the guardians will check to make sure there’s no damage to the sea floor or any fish habitat.
Fink is looking forward to when the sunken barge is finally removed from the dock in front of her oceanfront resort — even though she said guests have been understanding and even “intrigued” by the situation.
“I would love to see everything return to normal,” Fink said.
“Our guests are actually very excited to watch it go, so it’s going to be some free entertainment for the guests that happen to be staying with us while they remove it. So yeah, we’re very excited.”