Steveston Harbour Authority strives to make our harbour as environmentally friendly as possible and has taken many steps to minimize damage to the environment including: removing the tidal grid near the public fish sales float; providing numerous waste disposal sites and bins for garbage, organics, used oil and oil filters; setting up a net and fishing gear recycling program; and installing a large vessel repair area complete with two storm interceptors to prevent harmful substances from being flushed into the river as a result of vessels being repaired.
Although Steveston Harbour Authority assumes no responsibility for environmental incidents resulting from vessels sinking, discharging pollutants, etc., we are equipped for primary environmental response in case of an emergency. We are equipped with absorbent and non-permeable containment boom and absorbent pads for marine spills as well as dry-zorb powder for land spills so we can minimize the environmental impact of any incident. However, we do wish to remind all vessel owners that under the Canadian Marine Liability Act section 51, vessel owners are responsible for responding to spills involving their vessel and are also responsible for covering all costs associated with any cleanup.
Steveston Harbour Authority takes pride in being one of the leaders in environmental response and awareness in the Harbour Authority Program. In November, 2009, Steveston Harbour Authority was awarded the 2009 Department of Fisheries and Oceans Prix d’Excellence award for Environmental Stewardship in recognition of an exemplary contribution to environmental response and to the Harbour Authority Program as a whole. Our full environmental policy can be found here.