An update on a recent oil spill in four Milton ponds has been provided by both the Town of Milton and Mattamy Homes.
The spill was first discovered by Milton residents on the evening of Wednesday, July 22nd at Leiterman Pond, near Louis St. Laurent Avenue in Milton. Several geese and ducks had oil smothering their feathers, making them unable to fly. One resident even mentioned that she was worried the birds wouldn’t be able to swim with how much oil was gathered on their feathers.
The Town provided a statement last week reminding residents to, “dispose of fats and cooking oils in a proper manner.” They have since sent myFM News an updated statement.
Here is a collection of notes provided to myFM News by the Town of Milton’s Senior Manager, Strategic Communications, Carrie Beatty:
“The Town has been monitoring the issue closely. The pond is maintained by Mattamy Homes Canada under the current subdivision agreement with the Town of Milton. Mattamy was highly responsive to the incident and have been taking all the necessary measures for the clean-up as directed by the applicable Ontario Ministries. They anticipate that the company they have hired to remedy the spill will be onsite for the remainder of the week. At this time, the source of the spill is unknown, but the oil appears to be a type of cooking oil and is non-toxic in nature as confirmed through testing. Town is commencing an investigation under the Town’s Road Occupancy, Fouling and Entrance Permit By-law # 035-2020. Any infractions may be subject to a potential fine. We encourage individuals who may have information about the source of this spill to please report this information to our By-law team by phone: 905-878-7252 ext. 2137 or online.”
As mentioned by the Town in their statement, the land is maintained by Mattamy Homes. Brent Carey, Vice President of Communications for Mattamy, provided myFM News the following statement:
“Mattamy remains in regular communication with the Town of Milton as well as the Ministries of Environment and Natural Resources & Forestry regarding the status of the oil issue in Leiterman Park pond. We have hired a firm with expertise in emergency spill response for the clean-up – they have been on site dealing with the spill, which is now largely cleaned up. The firm will continue to be onsite on a daily basis to remove any oil-saturated booms and add additional booms as needed. While Mattamy did not cause the spill, we are committed to doing what is necessary to clean the damage and restore the environment, in cooperation with the appropriate authorities.
“The source of the spill is not yet known, and the investigation continues. It does appear that a large volume of what’s believed to be non-toxic cooking oil (the oil was tested last Friday and we have been told it is not hydrocarbon or petroleum based) was dumped in a storm drain or catch basin – which then flowed into the storm system. This is an important reminder that such substances should be disposed of in the proper manner, as these drains are connected to the local ecosystem.”
