It could be days before crews have a fuel leak cleaned up in the Trent-Severn Waterway, south of Sparrow Lake.
The Ministry of Environment was notified Thursday afternoon that a 42-foot boat had sank near Hamlet Bridge. Later in the evening, the MOE received several calls about the smell of diesel and an oily sheen in the water.
Officials say 900 litres of fuel were on board when the boat sank, though officials have been unable to confirm how much has leaked into the Trent-Severn.
Some of the rocks now that might’ve been out of the water are hidden now because the water levels are high,” says Severn’s deputy fire chief says Mark Hatch. “They have to be careful and keep a watchful eye.”
The Canadian Coast Guard, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Emergency Management Ontario and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit have all been notified.
A contractor is now working with the MOE to clean up the spill. Divers arrived late Friday afternoon to try and block the hole.
Residents are upset with the response and the possible effect this could have on the waterway.
“This is a major waterway. It brings in thousands probably hundreds of thousands to the community. Everybody just turns a blind eye at all levels of government,” says resident Ron Frank.
The extent of damage is not yet known.
