Source of Kitchener spill into Grand River still not known

The City of Kitchener continues to try to contain and remediate the spill of a petroleum-like substance into the Grand River.

The Ministry of the Environment notified the city over the weekend after a sheen was noticed on the water. City staff identified, isolated and contained the potential entry point of the spill– however, it could be some time before the exact source of the spill is determined.

“We’ve located the piece where we believe the material is entering our infrastructure and have disconnected it, but we will continue to investigate further upstream,” says Scott Berry with the City.

Berry says they’re waiting on test results to find out what exactly the substance is.

“Our test results are not available yet, we’ve expedited them through the laboratory and expect to have those results by mid-week.”

Regional Councillor Sean Strickland tells us water supply for residents in the region won’t be affected.

“We have enough water supply available to meet the needs of our community. What the city and Ministry of the Environment have been able to do is to plug the spill. There is no longer a spill occurring in to the Grand River. The spill source is yet to be identified.”

Strickland adds that the spill is still occurring even though it’s been plugged on the Grand River.

“There is still a toxic substance flowing through the storm water management system. It has been contained.”

Berry adds that they are cleaning infrastructure to get rid of any contaminants, and will continue to investigate the shoreline to create a plan to mitigate the environment.

“We still don’t know how long clean-up will take but we expect to have an update in the coming days. At this time, it is too early to speculate on the total cost of clean-up and who is responsible for paying.”

Berry says the City will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.

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