Emergency Roadside and Residential/Agricultural Spill Remediation

It is estimated that more than 40% of all fuel oil spills reported annually in Ontario are from domestic fuel oil tanks at private homes. Fuel oil spills have a major impact to the surrounding environment. Contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water poses a major problem for surrounding ecosystems and habitats. Migration of fuel oil contamination through groundwater can lead to problems downstream such as groundwater well contamination, aquifer and drinking water contamination, and potential habitat destruction depending on the severity and volume of the spill. One cup of fuel oil can contaminate enough water to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool, and in many cases hundreds of litres of fuel oil can seep into the ground before a spill is even discovered. Fuel oil that has spilled into a residential basement can also pose a serious health hazard, threatening indoor air quality. Anyone who owns a fuel oil tank has a legal responsibility to properly maintain it and to clean up any spills or leaks that may occur.

Releases of contaminants can also occur at roadsides or other areas away from structures following vehicle or agricultural equipment accidents, fires or even train derailments. Safeguarding the health and safety of persons and the environment are imperative. Identifying the contaminants involved is also important, whether it is petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC’s), volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), SVOC’s, metal/inorganics, manure/liquid waste, fertilizer, pesticides, or anything else that is potentially released. These types of spills can occur at any time of day or night and it is important to respond quickly, setup containment and establish an approach as quickly as possible to mitigate unnecessary costs and project scope due to the spread of the contaminant plume and identify pathways and conduits the plume may travel. Roadside spills can often involve culverts, drainage ditches and other pathways which can affect nearby wetlands or environmentally sensitive areas. We are able to respond quickly when emergency calls come in and have an extensive list of capable environmental remediation contractors we often work with who are ready to go on short notice when emergencies occur.

Persons are responsible under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) for reporting any release or spill that could cause property damage or health, safety or environmental adverse effects to persons or the environment. The Environmental Protection Act states in Part II, Prohibition 6. (1), “No person shall discharge into the natural environment any contaminant, and no person responsible for a source of contaminant shall permit the discharge into the natural environment of any contaminant from the source of contaminant, in any amount, concentration or level in excess of that prescribed by the regulations.”

When there is a discharge of a contaminant into the natural environment such as soil, groundwater or surface water, the person(s) responsible must report it to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MOECP) and/or Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), via the Spills Action Center (SAC). The MOECP administers the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) and the Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA). They respond to spills affecting more than one property owner, or spills on public lands or into drainage systems. The TSSA administer the Technical Standards and Safety Act (2000), Ontario Regulation 213/01 Fuel Oil, CSA B139-00 Installation Code for Oil Burning Equipment, and GA1/99 October 2001 Environmental Management Protocol for Operating Fuel Handling Facilities in Ontario. Section 16 was adopted for addition to the B139-00 Code. Other stakeholders or regulatory authorities may also become involved such as various Conservation Authorities, just as one example.

Brownfield legislation categorizes 4 classes of Petroleum Hydrocarbons (PHCs) pertinent to PHC’s including fuel oil including: F1 (C6-C10), F2 (>C10-C16), F3 (>C16-C34), F4 (>C34), where C is the amount of Carbon atoms present in the molecular chain. Brownfield protocol uses 3 methods for cleanup criteria, generic, background and site specific, and criteria can differ depending on whether or not potable groundwater is affected. Generic involves conforming to prescribed standard criteria via reference tables for detection limits (ug/g, ug/L), and can either be classified as full depth cleanups or stratified cleanups (only 1.5 metres from surface is cleaned, more common for sites where groundwater quality is not impacted or changed from resulting contamination). Background as you might guess, simply involves getting hydrocarbon levels as close to previous background levels as possible (table parameters listed per contaminant), while site specific is more specialized and geared towards risk assessment. Other criteria are present for other contaminants such as VOC’s, SVOC’s, metals/inorganics, fertilizers, various pesticides, manure impacts, etc. Often times, identifying the specific compounds/contaminants present in each agricultural product released (such as a pesticide/fertilizer) will vary greatly from product to product and an experienced consulting professional is needed to navigate this task properly to ensure the project is handled in a safe and appropriate manner.

Both TSSA and MOECP officers can respond to spills and have the power to order property owners to perform delineation studies, prepare reports and cleanup the product by issuance of a delineation and/or cleanup order. If the spill remains on the property the TSSA normally takes control and orders delineation/cleanup and oversees the project. If the spill affects groundwater, migrates off-site or occurs away from building infrastructure (i.e. roadside spills) the MOECP typically takes authority and oversees the project. In either case, qualified persons (QPs) such as professional engineers, hydrogeologists and other environmental experts will be ordered to verify the cleanup is done in compliance with the prescribed standards.

The stringent environmental regulations present in Ontario helps reduce the damage to the natural environment caused annually by spills and releases. Having the right consultants and contractors in place will go a long way to help reduce the amount of contamination escaping into soil, groundwater and surface water throughout sites in Ontario, as well as minimize environmental impacts, project costs/scope and future liability. We are here when you need us most.