Sheen from oil spill expected to be visible for days

The lead agency overseeing the spill in the St. Marys River says the volume of oil that was released is unknown at this time but notes the sheen is visible at least 10 kilometres away.

On Thursday an oil spill was reported on Algoma Steel property on the St. Marys River. All traffic on the river was closed by the U.S. Coast Guard for a time on Thursday, but reopened to commercial traffic soon after.

Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is the lead agency overseeing the clean-up. In a statement made Friday, ministry spokesperson Gary Wheeler said the volume of oil spilled is unknown at this time.

“Most of the oil spilled to ground on Algoma Steel’s property. Some of the oil entered Algoma Steel’s wastewater treatment plant where it was then discharged to the river,” said Wheeler.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is using drones to asses the extent of the spill. So far, the sheen has been visible as far away as Sugar Island, 10 kilometres from Algoma Steel.

On Thursday the USCG said in a news release the oil spill is estimated at 5,300 gallons.

Reached by telephone on Friday, USCG petty officer Greg Schell told SooToday the sheen is expected to be visible on the river for at least a couple of days.

According to the ministry spokesperson, Algoma Steel has hired clean up contractors who have deployed absorbent booms on the river to contain the spill.

The ministry’s role is to respond to spills, inspect the natural environment for potential impacts and work with those responsible to make sure the effects are mitigated and appropriate actions are taken to protect human health and the natural environment.

“The ministry is requiring that Algoma Steel assess the extent of the spill and prepare clean-up and monitoring plans to address and assess any short and long-term impacts to the river,” said Wheeler.

"We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks and all other authorities engaged in mitigating any potential impact from yesterday morning’s spill incident," said Brenda Stenta, Algoma Steel manager corporate communications. "While a thorough internal investigation will be conducted, at the moment all of our resources are committed to doing what needs to be done to protect the environment."

On Thursday Algoma Public Health issued a public advisory warning residents downstream from Algoma Steel not to consume, swim or bathe in water drawn from the St. Marys River and on Friday the water intake was shut off for the community of Echo Bay in response to the spill.