Update from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent at 6:05 p.m.
“At 1:15 p.m. on Thursday March 27, a spill of crude oil was detected in the St. Clair River around the Suncor plant.
The Spill Action Centre (SAC) is aware and two downstream refineries have dispatched booms to collect downstream contaminants.
Although a notice has been put out by St. Clair Township, there is currently no concern for Chatham-Kent water as a result of the spill.
The Wallaceburg Water Treatment Plant treats water from the Chenal Ecarte for its residents and customers.
The Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves.
As a precautionary measure, the water plant will close its water intake tomorrow morning to prevent the possibility of water contamination.
The water travel time from Suncor to the intake, down the St Clair River, is approximately 24 hours.
Update from St. Clair Township through Sarnia-Lambton Alerts at 4:05 p.m.
“There has been a spill to the river of Crude Oil.
It is being captured by booms deployed by both Suncor and Shell.
St. Clair Township Water Distribution System is Safe to Drink.
The spill is in the St. Clair River and has no impact on the Township drinking water.
Further updates will be provided when available.”
Suncor officials also issued an update to their previous notification at 4:08 p.m.
“At approximately 1 p.m. today, as part of its regular monitoring, the Suncor Sarnia Refinery was alerted to a release of hydrocarbons,” Suncor officials said through Sarnia-Lambton Alerts.
“The source of the release has been identified and isolated. No injuries have been reported. Suncor immediately deployed its response equipment including booms and vacuum equipment on the St. Clair River. We continue to work with local organizations on our response, who are assisting with shoreline assessment and air monitoring in the vicinity.”
Suncor officials say all appropriate regulatory agencies and local community organizations have been notified.
“We continue to take all necessary steps to respond and the safety of our people, community members and the environment remains our top priority,” Suncor officials added.
Original story: A message through Sarnia-Lambton Alerts from St. Clair Township was issued at 2:29 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, 2025.
“There has been a spill to the St. Clair River that could result in unsafe water conditions,” St. Clair Township officials say.
“Until further notice, DO NOT USE water from the St. Clair River and avoid taking and leisure crafts out onto the river to avoid skin contact.”
St. Clair Township officials provided the following map of the impacted area:
Officials at the Suncor Refinery in Sarnia issued a notification at 1:56 p.m. on Thursday through Sarnia-Lambton Alerts.
“Suncor is responding to an incident involving the St. Clair River,” Suncor’s notification reads.
“Our first priority is always for the safety of our employees, community members, and the environment, and we are making notifications to the appropriate parties to ensure this response has the necessary support. As part of this response, community members will notice an odour in the vicinity of the Suncor dock.”
Suncor officials added: “Should action be required by the community, further instructions will be issued by your municipality. Further information will be provided as they are available.”
The Shell Manufacturing Centre in Corunna issued a notification through Sarnia-Lambton Alerts at 2:39 p.m.
“Shell has been requested to provide mutual aid response on behalf of another industry member,” Shell’s notification reads.
“As a member of BASES, we are providing Shell emergency response equipment and personnel to assist. During this time, the community may notice boats, booms and emergency response vehicles responding. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 519-481-1245.”
This is a developing story. We’ll provide more details when they become available.
