Dead fish, ducks found after runoff from industrial fire seeps into 2 Toronto creeks, province says
CBC
Runoff from a massive industrial fire in Etobicoke on Friday has left dead fish and ducks in a Toronto creek, the Ontario environment ministry said on Monday.
Some of the ducks in Mimico Creek that have survived the runoff have been coated in an oily sludge, according to the Toronto Wildlife Centre.
The runoff from the six-alarm fire at Brenntag Canada, a chemical distribution company in North Etobicoke, is not expected to affect municipal drinking water however, the ministry said in a statement to CBC Toronto. It said the runoff is affecting Mimico Creek and Humber Creek, but not the Humber River and Lake Ontario.
The ministry added it has taken samples of the impacted creeks and is in the process of analyzing them.
"The containment and cleanup efforts appear to be effective in controlling any further release of the emulsified oily runoff," it said. "We are continuing to gather information about the extent of environmental impacts. We have observed impacts to wildlife including dead fish and ducks in Mimico Creek."
Toronto Fire Services has said the business where the fire occurred deals in oil and vehicle fluids, such as lubricants and solvents. The business is near Martin Grove and Belfield Roads.
Environment ministry staff have been on the site of the spill since Friday, when containment and cleanup efforts began with the help of Toronto Water, Brenntag Canada and cleanup crews the company has hired to contain the spill, the ministry said.
The ministry added that containment and cleanup locations have been set up downstream of Humber Creek and Mimico Creek.
Measures to contain the spill and absorb the substance include using booms and hay bales, installing underflow dams, deploying vacuum trucks to collect the oil slurry and diverting discharges from reaching the creeks, the ministry said.
"The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks takes all spills and threats to the natural environment very seriously. The ministry's role is to ensure that those responsible for any environmental impacts take all necessary measures to restore the environment," the ministry added.
In a statement on Monday, the city said Toronto Water staff are monitoring the situation around the clock.
Meanwhile, a rescue team organized by the Toronto Wildlife Centre has begun to clean mallard ducks coated in the sludge that has seeped into Mimico Creek.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the centre said its team has captured 49 ducks in Mimico Creek since Saturday. The team brought the ducks into the centre to undergo "specialized baths" to remove "harmful run-off" from the fire.
Twenty-five of the ducks were to be bathed on Monday.
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