The Ministry of the Environment says it will consider a number of factors before deciding whether to lay charges against Northumberland County for the June 28 road tar, or emulsion, spill that occurred on residential properties and into a creek that empties into Rice Lake.

“We’re looking to assess the environmental impact,” said Jim Martherus, a senior environmental officer with the Ministry.

Another factor is the county’s clean up response in relationship to the order issued June 29, he explained. Work was still underway on Wednesday of this week.

There is no decision yet about whether the spill will be referred to the Ministry’s enforcement branch, he added.

Well testing on two samples is being done and the Ministry “sent them out for high priority analysis,” Martherus also said.

The Ministry understands that the “rain event” which washed road tar or the blackcoloured emulsion that preceded the gravel chip layer onto County Road 18 (Rice Lake Scenic Drive) east from County Road 15 (Harwood Road) “snuck up” on county staff, he said.

This kind of roadwork using tar and chips “has to be done under dry conditions or the emulsion can wash off roadways,” Martherus said.

A Harwood resident called the Ministry of the Environment about the spill when she saw what she described as black goo running along the ditches and into streams that feed into Rice Lake. Delcey Dayman said she watched the county road crew clean up including removal of contaminated earth, re-sodding and washing fences on the historic Drope Century Farm located on County Road 18 west of the fish hatchery. The county road work had covered about two kilometers, she estimated.

Ministry sampling at Goose Creek near the hatchery reveals there was no adverse impact on it, Martherus said. Likewise, there has been no impact determined on the lake. Several road-side properties in the area required soil and vegetation clean up, he said. Northumberland County has been doing the remediation, the officer noted.

A spill like this is “not really” common, Martherus said.

via Spill could lead to charges – Northumberland Today – Ontario, CA.