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Gasoline leak may be source of Bronte Creek spill "It has not been proven that OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF it was Trans-Northern's oil, but we are taking full The Ministry of the Environment responsibility for it." is investigating the possibility that a leaking gasoline pipeline may have led to the mysterious slick seen in Bronte Creek earlier this month. The yellow substance, now identified as a mix of heavy and light petroleum products, was spotted on the surface of Bronte Creek on Thursday March 11, in the Speers and Bronte Roads vicinity. The discovery sparked an environmental clean up effort on the part of the Town, which was eventually turned over to Suncor, owner of the property where the spill was found. At the time, the Town's Director of Roads and Works Dan Cozzi said the substance appeared to be oozing out of the east bank of the portion of Bronte Creek that flows through the Suncor property site, opposite the Petro Canada Refinery. On Tuesday, March 16, TransNorthern Pipelines Inc. notified the Ministry of the Environment of a n Jane Sapiro, Trans-Northern spokesperson 15 · Wednesday, March 24, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com By David Lea leak in one of its gasoline pipelines, which is buried only 350 metres north of where the Bronte Creek slick was seen. "There are two pipelines in the area and Trans-Northern decided to check them as a result of the spill in Bronte Creek and so they found that a 10-inch line was leaking gasoline," said Tina Dufresne, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment. "The line was depressurized for repairs and they are cleaning up the contaminated soil. We are also requiring them to delineate (outline the extent of) the contamination and they have been co-operative." Dufresne said the pipeline in question is used to carry gasoline to the Suncor facility in the area and was buried two metres under- ground. Trans-Northern is currently estimating it lost approximately 100 litres of gasoline as a result of the leak. Despite the close proximity of the leak to the location of the Bronte Creek slick, Dufresne said, it is too soon to say whether the two are related, especially when there are several important questions that still need answers. "It was heavier and lighter petroleum products in Bronte Creek. Trans-Northern is telling us they only had gasoline in that pipeline and gasoline is a lighter petroleum product," said Dufresne. Trans-Northern has hired contractors and an environmental consultant to remove the contaminated soil from the site. "It has not been proven that it was Trans-Northern's oil (in Bronte Creek), but we are taking full responsibility for it," said Jane Shapiro, spokesperson for TransNorthern. "The repair has now been completed, the National Energy Board has approved the return to service of the pipeline and we are now involved in defining a long-term plan to determine the exact extent of the (contamination) problem and what needs to be done to fix it." Dufresne said it is too early to say whether Trans-Northern will face any fines as a result of the leak. The spill in Bronte Creek was initially captured with special containment booms and then pumped into special recovery tanks. Heavy rains allowed some of this spill to escape when the containment site was overrun with floodwater. It is unknown how much was able to flow down the creek and reach Lake Ontario. OVER 60,000 SATISFIED CUSTOMERS BEAT THE HST! HURRY GOV REBATE ENDS SOON 9 Locations To Serve You Better! *Call Dealer for Details *See dealer # Best Price # Best Service for details # Same Day Installation Available # Eligible for O.P.A. & Government Rebate THE BIGGEST SALE EVER $ 500 OFF 905-849-4998 www.aireone.com 1-888-827-2665 A+ Rating