An Ontario oil refinery spilled 5,000 liters, or about 1,300 gallons, of crude oil into the St. Clair River Thursday, according to Canada’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
Suncor Refinery in Sarnia notified the ministry’s spills action center of the inadvertent release from the company’s cooling water system just before 2 p.m. Thursday, said Gary Wheeler, a spokesman for the agency.
The company, Wheeler said, deployed booms to contain the spill and Ontario’s St. Clair Township — across the river from Marysville — sent out automated phone messages warning of potentially unsafe water conditions.
“A ministry field officer at the site confirmed that cleanup was occurring at multiple locations along the river, and that booms had been placed to contain any material that had entered the river,” Wheeler said in a statement. “The ministry is following up today to assess the status of cleanup efforts.”
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy referred questions regarding the spill to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Lt. Kyle Rivera, a spokesman for U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit, said Friday the spill is isolated to a boomed area along the Canadian shoreline “with no observed impact in Michigan.”
Since Thursday, the Coast Guard has conducted two helicopter overflights and two boat patrols to determine any oil collection points in the southern St. Clair River, in the channels of the St. Clair River Delta and in the northern area of Lake State Clair, Rivera said.
“No sheening or crude oil product was observed,” Rivera said. “The USCG continues to monitor cleanup efforts across the river and maintains close communication with Canadian partners.”
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
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