Rash of ‘diaper’ sightings in river prove unfounded
What people saw was naturally occurring foam, city says after investigating
A mistaken report of “hundreds,” even “thousands,” of diapers floating down the Ottawa River Wednesday morning underscored the multi-layered problem of who is responsible for what floats in the river.
The diapers turned out to be naturally occurring foam, a common byproduct of organic matter in the water, something a City of Ottawa stormwater technician determined after heading out in a boat.
“The technician did not find any evidence that would point to an external contaminant release that may have resulted in foam,” said John Kukalis, program manager of stormwater management and environmental monitoring.
“The technician concluded this was a natural occurrence and no further response was needed.”
Before the issue was resolved, it also bounced through several layers of government.
The office of the Ottawa Riverkeeper, the watchdog agency that ensures laws involving the river are followed, also received a report of the suspected diapers.
Riverkeeper Meredith Brown said it was one of the stranger pollution reports she had ever received.
“We hear about lots of different things, including dead cows in the river, but a whole load of diapers is the craziest thing that has ever been reported to me.”
Her organization, however, is neither a government agency nor a response organization. It does have a pollution hotline, which attempts to match up reports of pollution to the agencies responsible.
That is not always easy on the Ottawa River, which is touched by two municipalities in the Nation Capital Region, as well as two provinces and the federal government, which is responsible for navigation and some aspects of pollution.
Brown called the questions over who responds to such complaints typical.
“This is the classic thing whenever something happens — whose responsibility is it?” She said the same question was being raised in the spring when ice huts left on the ice too long would go into the water.
Brown added she was impressed how quickly the concern was checked out.