Heavy Rains Blamed For Sewage Overflow To River

Tuesday's heavy rains are blamed for a sewage overflow that impacted the St. Clair River. Gary Wheeler of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change says the Sarnia Water Pollution Control plant reported that their system experienced a plant bypass and sewage overflow. The overflow occurred as a result of heavy rainfall at the Rainbow Park Surge Tanks and lasted about eight minutes. Lambton Public Health posted notices at local beaches along the St. Clair River advising against swimming for 48 hours. Wheeler also says Imperial Oil in Sarnia let the ministry know Tuesday about a sheen on the river. He says the company deployed booms and ministry staff inspected the area. The sheen dissipated by early Tuesday afternoon and testing revealed no issues with local water quality. The ministry says no crude oil spill occurred and the cause of the sheen remains unknown. The booms were kept in place overnight. the company continues to investigate and monitoring was continuing. Sarnia received nearly 50 mm (2 in) of rain, mainly in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday.