Province and Kitchener investigating water pumped into local creek
KITCHENER — The Ministry of the Environment and the City of Kitchener are investigating after receiving a tip that water was being pumped from an old gas station on Victoria Street North into nearby Kolb Creek.
Ministry spokesperson Gary Wheeler said the water doesn’t seem to be contaminated, nor does there appear to be any impact downstream. “Ministry staff are in the process of following up with the property owner. We will continue to monitor this situation as necessary,” he said.
Wheeler said the provincial spill action centre received a tip about possible dumping on Thursday night and contacted the city. City staff visited the site, at 1253 Victoria St. N., later that night and found a pump draining water from the site and sending it into the creek. The city says staff deactivated the pump.
At least two large holes on the property indicate the location of the underground storage tanks for the gas station, which has been closed for years. Ministry staff also visited the property on Friday and determined there was no sheen, odour or any other indication that the water was contaminated.
Colleen Collins, interim director of communications for the city, said staff unplugged the pump Thursday night to prevent further discharge into the river, and will be investigating any remediation that might be necessary for the waterway — specifically the silt and sediment that was pumped into the river.
There appeared to be a problem with the silt fence on the property, allowing the sediment to enter the creek, she said. Staff determined the water was likely rainwater that had pooled in the holes.
“Sediment is more of a concern in larger quantities in cold water creeks because of the impact on fish species. That is not a concern in this instance based on the location and quantity of silt discharged,” Collins said.
“(Staff ) would need to assess if cleaning up the small amount of sediment would cause more damage to the bank of the creek than leaving it.”