Prince Edward County is outlining some of the work done to mitigate and eliminate contamination in Marsh Creek.
The contamination, reported last week, was caused by a fuel spill near the intersection of Picton Main Street and Bowery Street.
The fuel entered the stormwater system and flowed to Marsh Creek and led to immediate deployment of adsorbent booms at several locations along Marsh Creek and at the outflow to Picton Bay.
County officials say all available County materials were deployed and additional materials were deployed by a remediation contractor.
All effected catch basins were cleaned out and pressure washed by the remediation contractor, while skimming of sheen was undertaken from numerous points along the creek and in the bay.
Also testing was completed at the outflow during the spill to understand the nature of the contamination.
Proactive testing of the water is ongoing.
Visual and olfactory (smell) evidence from an inspection conducted on May 13 showed that the majority of the spill has been removed, adsorbed, or dissipated.
Environmental samples have been collected to confirm this observation. Additional surface water testing will be undertaken as recommended by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.
Given the absence of free phase petroleum from the creek, adsorbent booms are no longer required for environmental protection. The booms will be removed in the next few days pending contractor availability.
This approach has been endorsed by MECP staff.
Drinking water supplied by the Picton Water Treatment Plant remains safe for consumption. Monitoring of the water supply will continue throughout the incident response.
MECP is investigating the cause of the spill. Anyone with information is asked to contact MECP by filing a report online or calling 1.866.663.8477.You can remain anonymous.
