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Interior Health says as much as 20,000 litres of diesel may have spilled in the Scotch Creek area in the Shuswap.
It’s advising the residents of around 200 properties with private wells in the Scotch Creek area to monitor their water following a large diesel spill.
The health authority said in a news release the spill happened around 7:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday at a local gas station.
Jay Simpson, the area director with the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District, said in an online post that it happened at the Co-op cardlock on Squilax-Anglemont Road.
“We’re concerned that it can reach their wells,” said Ivor Norlin, the director of environmental health at Interior Health.
He said the soil in the area consists of gravel and sand so fuel could be moving into the underground aquifer.
“We don’t want to make any assumptions about how quickly it’s moving either, so we just want to make sure that people are aware of it and if they have any odour coming from anything.”
People are being asked to look out for a distinctive fuel smell or an oily sheen on the water.
If signs of diesel are spotted, Interior Health says people should find another water source for drinking, cooking and bathing.
The impacted properties are along Butters Road, Saratoga Road and Kenwood Gate.
Interior Health says it will continue to closely monitor the situation along with the Ministry of Environment and Parks.
Norlin said the health authority will work with consultants to map out the spread of the spill and will keep people updated on the findings.
It says the advisory is a precautionary measure.