The town of Essex said it had determined the cause of raw sewage, found in a ditch last week off County Road 11.
According to town spokesman Alex Denonville in an email Tuesday evening, the pooling of sewage in the Harrow ditch was caused by a faulty septic system.
"The Town of Essex building and bylaw enforcement division conducted an investigation into the matter on Thursday and Friday of last week," said Denonville. "The Chief Building Official has issued an order to comply requiring the property owner to replace their current septic system, which has also been pumped out as a temporary measure."
The problem was first discovered by resident Sabrina Ulch, who said it appeared to be coming from a neighbour's clean-water pipe. Ulch previously told Blackburn News that when she went to the neighbours to alert them of the issue, someone at the house told her the pipe was recently pumped out.
Ulch's town councillor, Sherry Bondy, advised her to call the OPP, but when an officer arrived to investigate, she was told there was nothing he could do. Essex's bylaw enforcement soon paid a visit to examine the issue.
Denonville said the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks continues to investigate the matter.
---with files from Adelle Loiselle
