Diesel spill in Barrie's Kempenfelt Bay under investigation

The City of Barrie is monitoring the pond between the Tiffin Boat Launch and Southshore Centre after a diesel spill over the weekend.

On Saturday, Peter Bursztyn was canoeing with his family in Kempenfelt Bay, and that's when he says he noticed the spill.

"I could smell it right away," Bursztyn said.

According to the City, the site has since been cleaned up.

In a statement, a spokesperson with the City of Barrie told CTV News, "Initial investigations included inspection of the storm sewers upstream of the Allandale GO Station and sewers south of the site along Lakeshore Drive."

It continued, "Based on city staff's initial investigation and discussions with Metrolinx staff on-site Saturday, it was determined the diesel spill came from the Allandale GO refuelling station."

Metrolinx said it's currently investigating the source and working with both the Ministry of the Environment and the City.

As a member of Living Green Barrie and a retired industrial chemist, Bursztyn said he doesn't anticipate any long-term impacts from the diesel.

"It floats, and it evaporates so it's on the surface, unlike heavy oil which can sink to the bottom and never evaporate, it just sits there," Bursztyn said.

At the same time, other groups like the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition said with growth pressures around the lake it wants to see better protection, calling on the province to take spills like this one seriously.

"This is exclusively a government ability to prosecute and enforce the law, and if they aren't going to prosecute and enforce the law, then we go back to who is taking care of Lake Simcoe," said executive director Claire Malcolmson.

At this point, it remains unclear how much fuel spilled into the lake and how much it cost to clean up.