The public just isn’t being informed in an adequate and timely manner about chemical and fuel spills into the St. Clair River. On numerous occasions there has been a void or gap in communication between industry and local public officials, and the most recent case appears to be earlier this week.

Approximately 200 barrels of diesel fuel leaked into the river from a pipeline in Sarnia’s Chemical Valley on Tuesday, but there seems to be some issue as to when public representatives were informed.

Operators of the Sun-Canadian pipeline knew precisely when the pipeline started to leak on land — at 11.27 a.m. on Tuesday. An alarm or monitor was activated when a drop in the pipeline’s pressure was sensed. Within three minutes the pipeline was shut down. City and emergency crews were notified and the clean-up (at Vidal Street and Churchill Road in Sarnia) began.

The problem is that police issued a press release on Tuesday saying the leaked fuel had not reached the river. Yet that’s exactly what happened later in the day. Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley says Sun-Canadian was expected to inform the public later that day that diesel had reached the river, but he only learned that the St. Clair was involved when a 911 call was issued to city emergency officials. Bradley then instructed city staff to inform their counterparts in Michigan as a precaution.

Here’s where it becomes interesting. A Petrolia man boating on the water near Stag Island with his wife and friends noticed a diesel-smelling slick on the river at about 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Yet the water intake at Walpole Island, downriver from the spill, was only closed at 10 p.m. — or over two hours later. Walpole and Wallaceburg depend on the St. Clair for their drinking water. At some point the leaked diesel became a marine crisis, and at some point the leaked diesel become a threat to the drinking water of two communities.

Sun-Canadian’s spokesperson says they’ve been available to public officials and that they’ve also been transparent. That may be, but that doesn’t change the fact that diesel fuel was apparently in the St. Clair River for several hours before communities that draw their drinking water from the river were informed.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. The people of Wallaceburg and Walpole Island have endured many instances where the source of their drinking water was potentially compromised by a spill of some type. Over a year ago, a vessel spilled chemical into the river and there was even some debate over how much was spilled. The vessel’s owners were eventually fined — a paltry amount in the grand scheme of things — but the fact the public wasn’t adequately informed about how much chemical was in the river is worrisome.

By and large, the heavy industries that conduct business in Sarnia’s Chemical Valley are excellent corporate neighbours. But something like Tuesday’s spill, and the minor confusion that followed, can damage that goodwill.

The industry and their neighbours deserve better.

peter.epp@sunmedia.ca