Nearly a year after an oil tank ruptured, the Ministry of the Environment is calling for more sampling and a detailed cleanup plan

The Ministry of the Environment has asked the Canadian Pacific Kansas City to create a plan addressing an oil spill that occurred on its rail yard property next to North Street almost a year ago.

In June, Ministry of the Environment staff were on hand for the lifting of the oil tank from the Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail yard adjacent to North Street on to a flatbed truck. The rusting tank had a gaping hole in one side.

Since then, the first round of sampling has been completed and a report was submitted to the ministry for review.

“The ministry has requested that the extent of the contamination be defined and that a remedial work plan be prepared to address the off-site contamination,” said Gary Wheeler, a spokesperson for the ministry, in an email.

“As a result, we requested further sampling and delineation to be done by the Canadian Pacific Kansas City and its consultants,’ said Wheeler.

“Ministry staff will continue to assess the actions taken by the property owners to address the off-site contamination issues. Based on these efforts, the ministry will determine if further compliance actions are warranted.”

CPKC spokesperson Terry Cunha said the company is participating in the process.

“CPKC remains engaged with the province and other stakeholders on the ongoing remediation,” said Cunha.

In November, the creek that runs along the Gateway Casino had a visible sheen, which prompted the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and Sault Ste. Marie Public Works to collaborate on cleanup efforts and investigate possible causes. 

A public report last November alerted the ministry of a visible oily residue in the creek that separates the casino from the main parking lot.

In February, the source of the spill was found to be a ruptured oil tank at the CPKC rail yard where the tracks cross North Street.

Although an environmental boom remains in the creek, Dan Perri, director of Public Works with the city, said the visible brown foam that is currently visible on the water is organic and was not caused by oil contamination.

“To our knowledge, no further contaminants have entered the system since the original work was completed on private property,” Perri said. 

“The city is not involved with remediation efforts on private property.”