Residents frustrated with cleanup of Etobicoke creeks 1 month after industrial fire

Residents say they're frustrated with the slow progress of the cleanup of two Etobicoke creeks nearly a month after runoff from a massive industrial fire polluted them and caused devastation to wildlife.

Ontario's Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks says it is continuing to assess the environmental impact after a six-alarm fire on Aug. 11 at Brenntag Canada, a chemical distribution company that operates an industrial building in north Etobicoke, caused runoff to enter both Mimico Creek and Humber Creek.

The ministry says significant progress has been made on the cleanup, but some who live in the area don't think enough is being done.

"Yesterday, it was still a rainbow of oil all along the water," Lisa Hall told CBC Toronto on Friday.

Hall, a nearby resident who's lived near Mimico Creek for nearly 30 years, said she's come down to the foot of the creek at Humber Bay almost every day since the fire and is troubled by how long the cleanup is taking.

"Every time I've been down here, there's been nobody around doing any work," said Hall.

Hall said two workers she saw on Friday from a private environmental sustainability consultancy were the first people she observed working on the cleanup in days.

One of those two workers told CBC Toronto they were taking test samples of the water at the foot of Mimico Creek for later testing at a laboratory, but would not confirm whether they were part of the ministry-led clean up.

The industrial spill has had a significant impact on local wildlife, with the Toronto Wildlife Centre saying that many animals have died over the last four weeks, including thousands of fish. Meanwhile, dozens of ducks and other birds have needed rescuing and around-the-clock care at the shelter.

"We have admitted 111 birds, of which 20 have died at our centre," said Nathalie Karvonen, executive director at the centre.

An earlier Facebook post from the centre said dead animals like beaver and mink have also reportedly been seen along the creek.

A portion of Mimico Creek near Humber Bay Park photographed on Friday, Sept. 8, shows sludge remaining nearly a month after a six-alarm fire at a chemical distribution plant caused runoff to enter the creek. (Patrick Swadden/CBC)

In an email to CBC Toronto, ministry spokesperson Jennifer Hall said spill sample results confirmed petroleum-based oil as the main contributor to the environmental damage in and around the creeks.

Hall said samples also found fire suppression materials used to battle the blaze, but results have shown a steady reduction in concentrations of the contaminants.

The ministry is expected to remain on site to monitor the situation until October, she said.

Cassie Barker, a senior program manager with Environmental Defence, said the advocacy organization tested the water recently and also found petroleum hydrocarbons. She said the ministry needs to be more clear about what other chemicals are in the water.

"I would say no one who lives close to the creek and who drinks water from Lake Ontario should be satisfied with this response," said Barker.

She said chemicals in the water can put drinking water at risk, as Mimico Creek drains into Lake Ontario, which provides drinking water to nine million people in Ontario and New York State.

However, Lou Di Gironimo, general manager of Toronto Water, said the city's drinking water is safe for consumption and will continue to go through treatment and testing that ensures it complies with environment ministry standards.

Workers from SLR Consulting, a private environmental sustainability consultancy, told CBC Toronto they were taking test samples of the water at the foot of Mimico Creek, but would not confirm whether they were part of the ministry-led clean up. (Patrick Swadden/CBC)

Residents just want the ordeal to be over with and are calling on the ministry to do more.

"I shouldn't be looking down and seeing rainbow colours of gasoline or some kind of fuel at my feet," said Anna-Louise Richardson, who lives in Etobicoke near where Mimico Creek flows through Tom Riley Park.

"There's an extraordinarily lackadaisical attitude towards this cleanup."

The Toronto Wildlife Centre says dozens of ducks and other birds have needed rescuing and around-the-clock care at the shelter, while 20 ducks have died since runoff from the Aug. 11 industrial fire entered Mimico and Humber creeks. (Submitted by the Toronto Wildlife Centre)

But the cleanup is continuing, said ministry spokesperson Jennifer Hall. Measures to contain the spill and absorb the substance have included using booms and hay bales, installing underflow dams, deploying vacuum trucks to collect the oil slurry and diverting discharges from reaching the creeks, Hall said.

She added that on Friday the ministry conducted a drone survey of Mimico Creek near Humber Bay Park.

Hall also said Environment and Climate Change Canada, a federal ministry, has since required Brenntag Canada to develop a wildlife response plan and provide updated numbers of impacted wildlife.

Madeleine McDowell, who has lived by Humber Creek for over eight decades, said there are not enough regulatory measures to prevent environmental disasters like this.

"I'm horrified. It shouldn't be happening and we are not doing anything to prevent it," said McDowell, a founding member of Heritage Toronto who has spent most of her life promoting the city's natural and cultural heritage.

She said industrial companies should have better safety systems and protocols in place to prevent future environmental damage.

"The preservation of the shoreline of Lake Ontario and the other Great Lakes is terribly important\," McDowell said.