05/26/2026
(May 26, 2026) The car wash is currently closed because of an emergency warning released this morning. We will reopen when we can.
Residents in Courtenay, Comox and the K’ómoks First Nation are being asked to not flush or use any water that drains into the sewage system while work is underway to repair a sewage leak.
Kris La Rose, general manager of engineering services with the Comox Valley Regional District, says there was construction underway at the Comox pump station, when there was an “uncontrolled release of wastewater.”
“It unexpectedly failed. So, there’s a, there’s a major upgrade going on at that facility. So, as part of that work, they are there’s a requirement for temporary bypass pumping,” La Rose said in a phone call with CHEK News.
“The bypass pumping had not yet begun, but the new piping network that was installed to allow the bypass pumping to happen over the coming days, a component of that failed, and the excavation around that section immediately filled up with wastewater, and then overflowed into the ocean.”
While repairs are underway, the public is asked to not flush toilets, use water that drains into the sewage system, shower or have baths, use dishwashers or washing machines or harvest shellfish or marine resources from the affected area.
The public is also advised to avoid going into the ocean, swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, or other water activities near the shoreline and around Goose Spit and Comox Marina.
La Rose says they hope to have the issue fixed by 2 p.m., but the regional district will provide an update at that time either way.
“This is almost a worst-case scenario for the sewer system,” he said.
“We work very hard to ensure that all of the wastewater collected gets treated properly before discharge, so to see it flowing into the marine environment like this, and particularly immediately adjacent to the public amenity, like the Marina Park and the Marina, is pretty devastating, but we’re working very hard to resolve as quickly as we can.”
