A blackish, viscous puddle extending over several hundred metres on the Saint Lawrence, near Pointe-aux-Trembles, is causing concern. A pollution whose source the authorities still do not know and which comes after the observation of another suspicious slick two days earlier in the port of Montreal.
What there is to know
A blackish, viscous puddle floating over a large area has settled on the banks of the river at Pointe-aux-Trembles, in the east of the island of Montreal.
The source and nature of the substance have not yet been determined, but experts believe it is most likely hydrocarbons.
The authorities want to be reassuring, the drinking water remains fit for consumption, but they advise the population not to approach the water table.
“We put our hand in the water and it comes out black,” says Fannie Martin, who was on her way to Sainte-Thérèse Island, off Pointe-aux-Trembles, and said she noticed a large black slick on the water early Thursday afternoon.
According to her partner’s observations, the iridescent puddle then extended several hundred meters offshore, between the boulevards du Tricentenaire and Saint-Jean-Baptiste.
Dozens of meters of shoreline were covered with this black material near the Pointe-aux-Trembles marina where several boats floating in the water were soiled.
“It’s hard to miss, it’s a big oil spill,” said one of the contractors working there, Danny Bélanger.
The Ministry of the Environment confirmed that it had been made aware of the situation on Thursday morning. A member of its environmental emergency response team went to the site to take samples.
The results of these analyses should be published this Friday, it was specified. “No terrestrial source was found,” added the Ministry, specifying that the research was continuing in order to trace the source of the pollution.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Dozens of meters of shoreline were soiled by a blackish substance while there were reports of an iridescence characteristic of hydrocarbons on the water.
Hydrocarbons
According to the owner of the Pointe-aux-Trembles marina, Paul-Yvon Valois, the spill came from an overflow of the city’s sewers, the day after an episode of intense rain.
A hypothesis that is dismissed by the president of the Rivières Foundation and former water treatment engineer, Alain Saladzius, for whom there is no doubt that it is an oil spill. “We don’t see waste water, it dissolves in the water, whereas here, the hand covered in black, it’s like tar,” he emphasizes while analyzing the photos provided by The Press.
According to him, the source of the blackish material could come from the refineries present in this sector. This is because these installations have “independent networks that are not connected, which go directly to the river,” he explains.
“There is an environmental problem that needs to be solved, no matter where it comes from,” says Fannie Martin. “The fish are going to die, the cattails, the water lilies,” she worries.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Objects and boats floating on the water were also soiled.
“Drinking water can be consumed”
The Canadian Coast Guard, which is responsible for recovery operations, says it has hired a private company, Urgence Marine, to “accelerate initial response efforts.” It advises the public not to approach the pollution slicks.
“If we want to intervene, we have to do it very quickly. The water in the river is moving forward, and the more it moves forward, the more it will disperse,” emphasizes Sébastien Sauvé, professor of environmental chemistry at the University of Montreal.
For its part, the City of Montreal wanted to assure the population that drinking water could be consumed safely. While waiting for the situation to resolve, the borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles (RDP-PAT) has however closed its water access ramp.
“The City of Montreal has sent inspectors to the site, is following the case and is in close communication with the Ministry of the Environment. […] “, it is also specified.
Other “tablecloths”
The Ministry of the Environment does not rule out the possibility that the product that spread on the banks at Pointe-aux-Trembles is linked to the observation of another suspicious “pollution slick” on the river two days earlier.
This “pollution slick,” as the Coast Guard calls it, was reported by a merchant ship in the port of Montreal on July 9. Several stakeholders, including the oil company Suncor, were then called upon to try to trace it.
An aerial patrol from the Sûreté du Québec later managed to locate the problematic liquid area, but “was not able to identify whether it was hydrocarbons or organic matter,” it was explained.
The banks of the river were not affected and the slick was contained within the main navigation channel, it was confirmed at that time. Several observations were subsequently reported in different locations, as far as Varennes.
The hunt continued until the end of the day, but no trace of the slick had been seen between 1:15 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The Ministry of the Environment explains that the municipalities of Montérégie as well as those targeted by the water intakes downstream have been notified.