Imperial Oil in Sarnia is investigating after a spill on Tuesday night (April 19) into the St. Clair River.
Officials with the Sarnia company said in a press release that the spill was identified at approximately 10:15 p.m. and was stopped at approximately 10:45 p.m.
“The incident occurred when water containing small amounts of diluted hydrochloric acid (less than 10 per cent) entered Imperial’s water separator and then overflowed to the river from the separator,” Imperial Oil officials stated.
“Monitoring of water quality quickly occurred after the spill was identified and no impacts have been identified downstream of the release. Imperial will continue to monitor water quality as a precaution.”
Hydrochloric acid readily dilutes in water and is occasionally used at the site to assist with the cleaning of process equipment, officials said.
Ontario’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the Canadian Coast Guard were notified, along with downstream water users as a precaution.
The Chemical Valley Emergency Co-ordinating Organization was also notified.
“Imperial is investigating the cause of the incident, including quantifying the volume of the spill,” Imperial Oil officials stated.
Public inquiries concerning the incident should be directed to Imperial’s 24-hour plant operations line at 519-339-5666.
