Concerns are being raised about a lack of emergency communication after reports of large amounts of diesel fuel leaking into the St. Clair River Saturday, prompting water-use advisories and notices to stay out of the water.
“It puzzles me how this was spilled into the river and got all the way to Suncor bend and Corunna with no notification given that it was in the river,” St. Clair Township Mayor Jeff Agar told The Journal Sunday. “There was a derailment and about 12,000 L of diesel fuel got in the river.”
CSX has confirmed to The Journal that around 1:37 p.m. Saturday, a machine rerailing a CSX locomotive at Arlanxeo in Sarnia, ruptured the fuel tank of the locomotive, “causing the release of an unknown quantity of diesel fuel onto the property and into the nearby St. Clair River.”
“CSX immediately activated its emergency response procedures and deployed containment boom to control downstream migration of the release,” the company stated, adding that they’re “currently working in close coordination with responding officials to safely recover the product."
A CAER Code 8 — which notifies of an ‘internal abnormal occurrence’ — was issued for Arlanxeo through the Aamjiwnaang Notification System around 2 p.m., and an all-clear was issued about an hour later. In a separate message through Sarnia Lambton Alerts, Arlanxeo noted a 'minor leak at a tenant site on the west site of the ARL property,' and issued an all-clear shortly after.
"At approximately 1:30 pm on Saturday August 3, ARLANXEO emergency response became aware of the spill and attended the scene to assist with the spill recovery and cleanup," Arlanxeo's Sarah Macklin stated in an email, adding that the Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks attended the scene along with the City of Sarnia Emergency Services. "We are committed to the protection of the local environment and will continue to assist our tenants in the clean-up and mitigation of this incident."
There was no CAER Code 10 issued – which would have notified residents of a spill to the St. Clair River – Sarnia's Mayor Mike Bradley confirmed, adding that Dale Gartshore, Deputy Fire Chief and Sarnia Emergency Coordinator, is "investigating the communication issues."
A Code 10 should be called "by any response team following a verified volume of spill to the St. Clair River that requires down-river notification," according to the Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability (BASES).
The Journal has reached out to Gartshore for comment.
Concerns have been raised over the years about the way in which the community is notified when mishaps occur in the Chemical Valley.
It wasn't until later Saturday, just before 8 p.m., that the St. Clair Township Fire Department said in a social media post that it was investigating a sheen on the water near Corunna, along with the Canadian Coast Guard.
"I myself am really upset that this was not reported as a spill when it happened," Agar stated in a social media post, Monday. "Our emergency personnel was not informed until it was discovered as a sheen in the river."
Lambton Public Health later issued a news release, advising users of private drinking water systems not to use their tap water, “as the presence of diesel fuel is suspected to have contaminated private drinking water systems near Hill and Lyndoch Street in Corunna.”
That only applies to about five users, Agar confirmed.
“All other Township residents get their supply of water from the LAWSS in Point Edward,” he stated.
“All local water treatment systems have been notified and are taking precautions to prevent contamination,” Lambton Public Health stated, adding that swimming precautions have also been issued for the St. Clair River near Lyndoch and Hill Streets in response to the incident. “Lambton Public Health is advising the public to avoid swimming in the area until further notice.”
Officials at Aamjiwnaang First Nation are also telling residents to stay out of the water for the next few days.
“All community members are asked not to be swimming in the river for the next 2-3 days, which includes using all docks,” Aamjiwnaang First Nation’s Emergency Planning posted in a notice on social media, Sunday. “There was/is a sheen of product in the river from a train derailment in the area.”
The Journal has also reached out to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, for comment.