Godfrey oil spill

Jeff Green | Mar 17, 2021

On Wednesday, March 10, Central Frontenac Fire and Rescue responded to a call regarding an apparent oil spill on Moon Road, a 1 kilometre dead end road off of Oak Flats Road in Godfrey, which has 15 houses on it.

They found what was described, in a township release, as a “fuel-like substance on the road.”

According to the release, “fire crews quickly contained the area, until the Ministry of the Environment, and environmental clean up crews, arrived on the scene and took over the clean-up.”

The road was closed to all but local travel late into the week.

A neighbour contacted the News about the spill on Thursday morning, March 11.

“It appears that oil has spilled at a residence that was being used as a vehicle repair shop. It has already seeped a considerable distance down the road,” the neighbour said.

The neighbour added that there were commercial signs on Moon Road, Oak Flats Road, and the residence itself, about the business.

The neighbour also said that it appeared that the township had the situation in hand, and were working to prevent any oil from spilling into a creek which flows into Cole Lake, to the north of the road.

Jamie Cook lived at the residence, where the oil originated, until some time in February. He said that he “operates a mobile repair business, and that any work I ever did at that house was done in a closed garage. I removed everything from the house, all the equipment, when I moved out.”

He said that any oil that had accumulated from the operation of the business was collected in steel barrels and taken away to be burned by a friend of his in Napanee who has a waste oil furnace that burns recycled oil.

The residence is located at the top of a small hill, and Cook said that the only possible source of the spill, that he could think of, may have been a car, owned by his former girlfriend, that had been sold.

“There may have been a leak in the fuel tank,” he said, “but I don't know that for sure. The fuel would have sat on the snow until the warm weather came and then came down the driveway, to the road.”

There was a ‘for sale’ sign on the house and Cook said that he understood it may have already been sold.”

Clean-up crews were working at the site into the weekend, including a truck that suctioned some water from a nearby ditch.

The News has reached out to the Ministry of the Environment, and Central Frontenac Township, to determine the status of the cleanup and whether any investigation is underway regarding the cause of the spill and how the cleanup will be funded.

We received this response from Central Frontenac Public Works Manager Tyson Myers.

“The township will not comment at this time on the cleanup costs and who is responsible for them. Our main focus is to take action to protect the Environment from further contamination and remediate the site properly.”

Roberto Sacilotto, Supervisor, Kingston District Office, said in an email that he will get back with a response once he connects with the officer involved with the investigation.