Open this photo in gallery: The St. Clair River Trail in Sarnia, Ont. in April, 2007. CRAIG GLOVER/The Canadian Press A pipeline leak in Sarnia, Ont., has been discovered more than a week after an oil sheen appeared on the St. Clair River. Sun-Canadian Pipe Line announced they located the leak on Saturday morning, nine days after they were informed about it on March 12. An oil sheen was spotted on the river near the Canada-U. S. border on March 11 by Suncor SU-T, a major oil company operating a refinery in Sarnia. The company later indicated that it seemed the leak originated from a Sun-Canadian pipeline. Sun-Canadian reported that the affected pipeline is still shut down and cleanup efforts are ongoing to tackle the leak near Sun Avenue and St. Clair Parkway, within Sarnia’s petrochemical area. Ontario’s environment ministry stated that containment booms and absorbent materials have been set up at both the “discharge point and in the St. Clair River.” In their statement, the ministry confirmed that no discharges had occurred since Suncor first identified the oil sheen on the river. They mentioned that they continue to monitor cleanup activities and are keeping communication open with local communities, including nearby First Nations. Aamjiwnaang First Nation, whose reserve is right next to where the spill happened, said they’ve been left without information regarding its size and impact. They also sought assistance from police to handle an anticipated rise in truck traffic transporting fuel products that would have typically gone through the now closed pipeline. The Walpole Island First Nation, located downstream of the refineries along the St. Clair River, mentioned earlier this month that while the spill had been contained, their water system remained unaffected. In 2013, Sun-Canadian’s pipeline burst and released around 60,000 litres of diesel fuel. The pipe was built back in 1953 and was found to be corroded; a six-inch rupture formed when it became too thin to handle pressure according to a review by Ontario’s Technical Standards and Safety Authority. Some of that spill entered a nearby sewer system which then reached into the St. Clair River. As a precautionary measure, Walpole Island First Nation shut down its drinking water intake. Approximately 22,000 litres of spilled diesel were recovered during cleanup efforts.
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