Environmental workers are scrambling to contain a chemical spill that may have leaked into Lake Ontario after a fire more than a week ago at an industrial complex in Etobicoke.
A fire broke out around 1 a.m. on Aug. 11 at a north Etobicoke facility that stores petroleum-based fluids and chemicals. The blaze was out of control for much of the morning and was eventually tamed by the afternoon.
A Toronto wildlife charity then pointed out that chemicals from the site had leaked into the local waterways, forming a toxic sludge on the top of Mimico Creek. The site of the fire hosted thousands of litres of motor oil and transmission fuel as well as solvents.
The Toronto Wildlife Centre saved around 90 ducks by cleaning the substance off them. The centre also said thousands of fish, a beaver, 10 fish and a mink had died after the toxic fire and subsequent spill.
Environmental officials with the province said they were working to contain the spill and its threat to Lake Ontario.
Measures to contain the spill had been put in place — including placing booms, haybales, installing underflow dams and deploying vacuum trucks to collect the oil slurry — but heavy rain on Thursday allowed some to escape.
“Work is underway to restore containment at locations along Mimico Creek,” a provincial spokesperson told Global News.
Four boats have been deployed to Lake Ontario to assess how much material leaked into the lake and add new measures.
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“Cleanup crews are verifying established containment measures along the creeks, which are being reinforced where needed,” the spokesperson added.
Beachgoers in Toronto who spoke to Global News were unaware of the potential leak into the lake.
Ryan Lumsden and Leah Pearl were at Sunnyside Beach with friends and family sitting near the beach. The beach, which was closed on Saturday due to e.coli levels exceeding the city of Toronto’s established beach water quality standard, had no visible markers signalling it was closed.
The two said they hadn’t heard about chemicals making it into Lake Ontario.
Lumsden said he regularly looks online to see the safety level in the water, so he understands what is going on, but even then, he said that there need to be greater markers to let people know if the water is safe.
“I don’t know if they fly a flag to let people know the quality of the water… it would be nice if they enforced more, but it is a person’s choice whether they want to go in or not,” he said.
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