Hamilton Water testing harbour for potential oil leak from rail yard near Bayfront Park

Crews from Hamilton Water are testing water by the harbourfront after learning of a potential oil leak from a CN freight depot.

A social media post on the weekend appeared to show oil from an outflow flowinginto the water.

Jasmine Graham, a city spokesperson, said in an email the city learnedof the issue after CBC News asked about the social media post. They sent workers to the site on Sunday evening and Monday morning to collect samples.

"Hamilton Water is analyzing the water for various parameters to determine what has been spilled. CN and [theMinistry of Environment, Conservation and Parks] are completing a review now to determine the next steps," she wrote.

Daniel Salvatore, CN's spokesperson, confirmed it received word of a "petroleum sheen from a culvert near CN's Stuart Street Yard" on Sunday evening.

"While the investigation is ongoing there are currently no indications that the source of this sheen is a result of operations or activities by CN," he wrote.

"CN and municipal officials have secured the sheen using booms and have resources on site to ensure the extraction of the reported product."

Gary Wheeler, spokesperson for theMinistry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, confirmedCN retained Green Response Environmental whichplaced booms at the water outfall and deployed a hydrovac truck that is at the site removing the hydrocarbon from the water.

"Booms have been deployed at other upstream outfalls and the City of Hamilton took samples to try and determine the source," he wrote.

"CN Rail is planning to flush and video scope a stormwater line that outfalls to the harbour to try and determine where the hydrocarbon is coming from.The city of Hamilton has checked upstream of the CN site and did not find any potential sources."

Environment Hamiltoncalls issue 'unsurprising'

LyndaLukasik,Environment Hamilton'sexecutive director, said the issue is not surprising.

"It's likely that the culvert was submerged for most of the summer. Water levels are much lower now,making this visible," she said.

"If stuff is draining from the surface in the yard right into this culvert,that is a problem any time and probably needs to be stopped, or there need to be controls to prevent contaminants from flowing in with any stormwater."

"This sure does underscore the fact that having a rail yard right beside our Bayfront Park is far from ideal."

She says the city should consider moving the rail yard.