‘Large amount of rags’ blamed for blockage that caused sewage spill in east end creek

A Toronto city councillor says a “large amount of rags” is to blame for a blockage that caused a sewage spill in an east-end creek last week.

The spill in Taylor-Massey Creek led to dead fish in the water and unpleasant odours in residential neighbourhoods.

Coun. Parthi Kandavel, who represents Ward 20, Scarborough Southwest, said he was told by Toronto Water that the rags were found in a sanitary sewer near Hymus Road in the city’s Clairlea-Birchmount neighbourhood. The road cuts through an industrial area in Scarborough. 

The blocked sewer caused sewage to spill into the creek from a storm water outfall at Warden Avenue and St Clair Avenue E., according to the city and province, which were notified of the spill on Friday.

“Unfortunately, this was preventable. We need education around this,” Kandavel said.

Kandavel said the city will have to work with Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment to investigate the source of the blockage and to determine who is responsible for the collection of small to medium-sized rags. It could be the result of actions by residents or businesses, he added.

One business might have dumped the rags at one time, or the rags could have gathered in that spot from residents flushing them down the toilet, he said. Special cameras are being used to ensure there are no other blockages and the city is waiting for an update from Toronto Water on the blockage, he said.

Blockage was cleared, province says 

On Friday, the Environment Ministry’s spills action centre received several reports about the sewage spill, according to ministry spokesperson Gary Wheeler.

Wheeler said Toronto Water confirmed that the spill was caused by a blockage in the sanitary sewer near Hymus Road, which resulted in an overflow into the storm water sewer, discharging into the creek about one kilometre downstream.

“Ministry staff attended the site on the same day and met with staff from Toronto Water to confirm that appropriate actions were being taken to contain and clean up the sewage,” Wheeler said.

No dead fish were observed by ministry staff while on site, he added, but Toronto residents have posted photos to Facebook of the dead fish in the creek.

“The ministry continues to engage with Toronto Water to ensure that appropriate clean-up measures are undertaken and completed to the ministry’s satisfaction,” Wheeler said.

A city truck is shown here parked above the banks of Taylor-Massey Creek near Warden Avenue and St. Clair Avenue E. (Muriel Draaisma/CBC)

In an email on Tuesday, the city said crews cleared the blockage on Friday afternoon and put containment measures in place to deal with problems downstream, the city added.

Staff to continue to skim water for debris

Cleanup efforts continued through the weekend and the city said water conditions were improving on Sunday.

“We take these environmental issues seriously and staff will continue to skim the water for debris and maintain the containment equipment until the water returns to its usual clarity, which is expected to take a few days,” the city said.

The city said it is continuing to work with the ministry as the cleanup progresses.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, Coun. Brad Bradford, who represents Ward 19, Beaches-East York, said he also learned of the spill on Friday.

“This was very concerning, and I have been working with city staff to make sure that a cleanup is underway and that this issue is quickly resolved,” Bradford said.

Randy Bareham, a city resident, wrote in an email to CBC Toronto on Friday: “The city calls this an environmentally sensitive area and hundreds of people use the trail system daily in Warden Woods and Taylor Creek Park. Considering all the efforts the city is putting into improving water quality in its rivers and lakefront, it’s rather shocking.”

Avoid contact with creek water, public health says

In a statement on Thursday, Toronto Public Health urged residents to avoid all contact with the water in Taylor-Massey Creek while cleanup is taking place. It said the primary risk to residents is direct contact with the contaminated water.

“Sewage contains a high concentration of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause illness if ingested or if they come into contact with open cuts or sores. This includes avoiding activities such as swimming, wading, fishing, or letting pets into the water,” TPH said.

The public health unit said it monitoring the situation.