Environment ministry officials are probing a pair of chemical spills in Sarnia.

“We can confirm that approximately 1,200 litres of hydrocarbon spilled from a leak in a private pipeline owned by Imperial Oil,” said Environment Ministry spokesperson Lindsay Davidson, late Tuesday. “Some of the spilled material breached containment booms and entered the Cole Drain, which goes to the St. Clair River.”

Davidson added that a “minor sheen” was spotted at the St. Clair River and that ministry staff have taken samples downstream.

Earlier Tuesday, Enbridge company spokesperson Ken Hall confirmed that approximately five barrels of crude-oil had been discovered on the ground near the pipeline’s Sarnia terminal at Indian and Plank Roads, after reports of an odour around 8:30 a.m.

That particular pipeline right-of-way is shared by three companies, Hall noted, pointing to Enbridge, Plains Midstream and Imperial Oil. Officials with all three companies were on hand at the spill site Tuesday.

Enbridge confirmed that the product was not from any of its lines, and Imperial Oil took the lead in the investigation by mid-afternoon.

A CVECO Code 5 – described as an incident outside of industry – was issued and Sarnia police and Sarnia Fire and Rescue officials responded to the scene. City officials said the initial call came in around 9 a.m. from the Ministry of Environment Spills Action Centre.

The area, located near the east ditch on Indian Road, was cordoned off, and a slight odour of hydrocarbons could be detected while clean up crews were on the scene.

“The majority of the material was recovered from the surface of the ground,” Davidson said. “Some of the material flowed overland due to rain and reached a nearby ditch.

“Ministry staff are monitoring and inspecting downstream of the spill to ensure that the community and the environment are protected.”

Meanwhile, about one barrel of bunker fuel from a McAsphalt Marine Transportation ship spilled into the St. Clair River Monday at the Suncor dock around 5 p.m.

How the heavy oil-based fuel ended up in the water isn’t clear, said Joel Gardner, health, safety and environmental manager with the shipping company.

“We’re still investigating it right now,” he said.

McAsphalt and Suncor used booms to contain the fuel, which has almost all now been cleaned up, Gardner said.

The Canadian Coast Guard oversaw cleanup, conducted by the Canada Spills Response Centre, a Suncor news release said; and the Ministry of the Environment’s Spills Action Centre was notified.

A survey of the shoreline has not reported impact downstream, and more surveys will be done, according to Suncor.

tara.jeffrey@sunmedia.ca

tyler.kula@sunmedia.ca