By Erika Paulson
The Quebec government does not intend to fine Hydro Quebec for a 3,300 litre oil spill in the Ottawa River, says an official from the Quebec Environment Ministry.
Leo Martin, an official in the Quebec Environment Ministry, says the Hydro Quebec spill, which was the result of maintenance work on a hydraulic turbine, was accidental.
“Usually there are only fines if it is determined the spill could have been prevented,” he says. “Hydro Quebec is a responsible company, and used oil that has the least damage to water.”
The spill initially sent 3,300 litres of oil into the Ottawa River, right into Ottawa’s back-yard. Nearly 1,500 litres of this were not recovered and flowed down-river towards Montreal earlier this month.
The amount of oil that could not be recovered is equal to filling up about 40 tanks of gas in an average car.
While Hydro Quebec says the oil is non-toxic and not harmful to people, a spokeswoman says there could still be repercussions for wildlife and the complex environment of the river.
“It’s still oil, so it’s never good to have a spill,” says Joanne Chevrier of Hydro Quebec.
“It’s very rare to have this kind of situation,” she says, “and never in large quantities. There will not be large consequences to the environment.”
Meredith Brown, executive director of Riverkeeper, a non-profit monitor of the Ottawa River, says she disagrees that the river can receive chemicals with little or no harmful effect. “The river has a large volume of flow, so they think dilution is the solution, but it’s no solution — especially for some chemicals,” she says.
“The oil will get hung up on the shore, in sediment, some will sink. It’ll kind of be all over the place as it travels towards Montreal,” Brown says. “It could have a huge effect on birds, ducks, and wetlands further down-river. It’s a major migratory route.”
The provincial ministries of environment have adequate procedures to contain spills, she says “but prevention would be the best thing.”
Chevrier says Hydro Quebec is trying to repair the failed turbine and will keep containment boom lines in place when it is re-started. “There was no way to foresee this situation,” she says, “but we will put all measures in place to prevent this from happening again.”
She says a quick response was due to co-operation between Ottawa and Gatineau fire services, and a call from a passer-by on the Interprovincial Bridge who reported the spill to Ottawa officials.
Dave Capstick, acting district chief of Ottawa Fire Services, says the hazardous materials response team was called to Gatineau to contain the spill. He says it took Haz-Mat “a good 40 minutes to even find the source, and then about 30 minutes to contain it.”
Capstick says the oil slick was difficult to locate because initial impressions were that the spill was located at an Ontario area pulp and paper mill.
“The oil slick was visible for kilometers down the river; it wasn’t continuous. We really just followed it,” Capstick says.
A Quebec Environment Ministry inquiry into the spill determined that within an hour of the report, the Haz-Mat team cornered the spill to the Hydro Quebec facility near the Interprovincial Bridge. A team of about 30 firemen worked to establish an oil-absorbent boom line to surround the spill.