An oil spill in the St. Clair River from Suncor Energy’s refinery in Sarnia, Ont., has been “contained,” according to the company.
Suncor spokesperson Christine Randall informed on Thursday that the incident happened Wednesday evening.
“At approximately 6 p. m. yesterday, as part of its regular monitoring, the Suncor Sarnia Refinery identified a hydrocarbon sheen on the river. The outlet of the release has been identified and contained,” Randall said in a statement.
“Suncor immediately deployed its response equipment including booms and vacuum equipment on the St. Clair River. Clean up is underway, with support from Eastern Canada Response Corporation.”
A sheen refers to a shiny or iridescent look on the water’s surface that can result from petroleum products entering it or can be due to natural occurrences, as noted in a fact sheet from the B. C. government.
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Most sheens caused by pollution come from petroleum products entering the environment; nearly all petroleum products spilled in water will eventually create a sheen, states the fact sheet.
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“The formation and appearance of this sheen will vary depending on the properties of the spilled material and weather conditions. Refined products such as gasoline and diesel fuel will spread quickly and generally only form rainbow colors that blend into a sheen,” it says.
“Crude oil sheens are black-brown in color and as they interact with the environment may take on a brown-orange hue that can easily be mistaken for red algae blooms.”
Pipelines surround the Imperial Oil and Suncor refineries in Sarnia, Ont., Oct. 26 2014. Stephen C. Host/The Canadian Press file photo
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Randall stated that all relevant regulatory agencies and local community organizations have been alerted about the St. Clair River spill.
A representative for Ontario’s environment ministry told it does not anticipate any downstream effects on the river or municipal water system, nor are they aware of any impact on wildlife.
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Suncor’s Sarnia facility – an operation that’s been running for 70 years along the St. Clair River in Sarnia-Lambton – processes 85,000 barrels per day producing gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel fuels, asphalt, and petrochemical feedstock, according to its website.
The refined products reach distribution terminals in Ontario via Sun-Canadian Pipeline or directly delivered to customers using marine vessels and rail. The Sarnia refinery also has limited access to pipelines providing refined products into the U. S., according to Suncor.
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