October 05, 2003
Lesley Bovie, Staff Writer
PICKERING-- It's still unknown what triggered a hydro transformer to explode Wednesday morning, causing 8,000 gallons of mineral oil to seep into Pine Creek.
City officials, who visited the Cherrywood Transformer Station Thursday to survey the damage, said they noticed a containment berm around the ruptured transformer was missing a section along its top edge.
"It's like the edge of a swimming pool," explained Mayor Wayne Arthurs. "One side was missing what looked like a 10-inch curb around it."
When the transformer ruptured, the oil filled the containment basin but ran through the opening and into a nearby storm sewer, he said.
When asked about the missing edge, Hydro officials told him and others on the tour, the curb had been removed to move equipment in and out around the transformer, but hadn't been replaced, he said.
Hydro One spokesman Anne Creighton confirmed the concrete lip wasn't in place around the berm when the rupture occurred. But she pointed out the containment basin around the transformer is actually quite deep and able to handle most spills.
"Normally, we wouldn't experience a rupture of this dimension," Ms. Creighton added. "It's very rare to have a rupture of this magnitude."
The transformer will have to be replaced, moved off site and completely drained before it can be determined how the explosion occurred, she said. But clean up and containment continues to be Hydro One's number one priority, she added.
Hydro One brought an all spill recovery barge to Frenchman's Bay Friday, which sits at the ready should it be discovered the oil has made it that far.
"It's just a contingency," said Ms. Creighton "We have a 150-foot berm placed in an arc just north of Frenchman's Bay and it's doing a super job."
City officials said some oil has been spotted on the bay, but there is no evidence yet to link it to the spill. Located close to the 401 transportation corridor, Frenchman's Bay is prone to run-off from the highway, said Joe Hunwicks, Pickering's community emergency management co-ordinator.
The clean-up is expected to take several weeks with significant costs attached. Pickering will push to recover those costs from Hydro One, said Ward 1 Regional Councillor Maurice Brenner, who pinned the damage at $1 million.
The damage extended along five kilometres of Pine Creek, which over the years the City has worked hard to naturalize, he said. The creek will have to be dredged to remove oil from the soils and many of the vegetation planted destroyed.
"Hydro One should face charges for this," he said.
No charges have been laid yet, said the Ministry of Environment, but an investigation into the spill continues. Hydro One has been asked to monitor nearby ground water and the effects the oil could have on three private wells in the area, said ministry spokesman John Steele.
While his department wasn't aware of any dead animals reported near Pine Creek, the Toronto Wildlife Centre said it has rescued two oil-covered muskrats. A third has died, along with a mouse found near the creek.
"We're assessing the situation and looking for animals," said director Nathalie Karvonen, who dispatched her staff and volunteers to the site after hearing about the spill through news reports.
Should residents come across an animal in distress, Ms. Karvonen advises if it's safe to do so, confine the critter with a blue box and keep it warm.
Call the centre at 416-631-0662 right away and don't try to remove the oil from the animal yourself.
Oil coats the fur and feathers of aquatic animals so that it can no longer act as an insulator, leaving them susceptible to hypothermia, Ms. Karvonen explained.
"You need to stabilize the animal first. There is a very specific oil washing process," she said.
Animals in need of care can also be reported to Hydro One, by calling its public information line at 905-420-4935. Anyone with concerns about their well water, should contact the Durham Health Department at 905-723-8521.
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