The City of Montreal has called in local police to help identify the source of two recent oil spills in the St. Lawrence River in Montreal’s east end.
On July 11 and 25, an oil slick was spotted in the water in the Pointe-aux-Trembles neighbourhood near Du Tricentenaire Boulevard.
Information gathered to date suggests both incidents were linked to the same motor oil spill in the storm sewer system and occurred sometime between June 27 and July 10, the city said in a news release Wednesday.
It is asking any residents with information to contact the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
“This environmentally damaging act, which we consider to be serious, must not remain without consequences,” said Caroline Bourgeois, mayor of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles and vice-chair of the executive committee.
“The co-operation of the community is essential in this investigation and every piece of information could prove crucial.”
The city says it has inspected more than 160 commercial and industrial properties for evidence of a spill or leak in the storm sewer system, but the source remains a mystery.
“At this point, we can’t say whether the spill was accidental or malicious,” said Marie-Andrée Mauger, Montreal’s executive committee member responsible for the ecological transition and the environment.
She said half of all Quebecers drink water from the St. Lawrence and it goes without saying that no contaminants should be discharged into the sewage system for the sake of people’s health and the ecosystem.
“In fact, municipal regulations formally prohibit it,” she said.
Quebec’s Environment Ministry says it doesn’t know where the substance came from nor how far it stretched. The Canadian Coast Guard, which is responsible for the cleanup, says it used drones and helicopters to locate the spill.
Mauger said the equivalent of 1,000 litres of hydrocarbons had been spilled into the river, adding it was the city’s responsibility to find the source of the spill, since it came from a municipal water pipe.
“We have to turn to an investigative department that has more tools in its toolbox,” she said, referring to the SPVM’s involvement.
Clean-up operation
Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) crews began clean-up operations when the motor oil slick was first discovered, pumping out the oil and installing retention booms to contain it.
In all, some 19,000 litres of water mixed with oil were recovered during the initial operations, according to the CCG.
The City of Montreal says its environmental inspectors will continue its surveillance during future rain events and that it will be able to intervene quickly if necessary.