KAWARTHA LAKES-Barb Thayer first noticed the strong smell of diesel fuel outside her Cambray home on Saturday. “The smell was very bad, you would get an instant headache it was so bad” Thayer told Kawartha 411.
25 litres of diesel fuel had spilled on the road and into the creek. “My understanding is an old pick-up truck leaked approximately 25 litres of diesel fuel onto the roadway and into the catch basin.” Glenn Rutherford, Senior Environmental Officer with the Ministry of the Environment told Kawartha 411.
The fuel had spilled into Mclarens Creek running through town. A Detox Environmental crew was called in to clean up the spill. They have been on site every day since Saturday using booms, skimmers and soakers to try to contain the fuel. Rutherford says it travelled about one kilometre. “It’s a contaminant, if there was any ducks in the creek it would coat their feathers, we want it cleaned up and not have it in the water column.”
Some local residents are concerned they weren’t told about the spill earlier. “No one knocked on my door to tell me about it,” Jane McKay says. “I’m going to get my water checked.” McKay lives on Cambray Road, right across the street from where the spill happened.
This is a rural area and the residents are on wells and some farmers use the creek to water their cattle. “It’s preferred that cattle aren’t drinking out of the creek in a diesel spill, that’s why it’s imperative that we get it cleaned up and prevent it from further spreading.” But Rutherford said he just notified area farmers today, some four days after the spill. “I’m still looking into that,” he says. “I don’t think anybody realized there were people watering their cattle from the creek.”
Detox crews will be back tomorrow to change the booms and continue the clean-up.
Residents say the truck was towed from the scene. “I don’t know if it was a broken down truck or if somebody did it on purpose,” Thayer says.
Police are actively looking for the owner of the truck believed responsible for the spill.
