Grey County looking for information on 60-km spill

Grey County is looking for information about a large spill of a tar-like substance that stretched more than 60 kilometres along county roads.

Sometime early Satirday morning the substance was spilled on stretches of Grey Road 40 and Grey Road 3 from Chatsworth, along County Road 40, south on Grey Road 3, through Ayton and into Wellington County.

The spill was not reported and the county is looking for the public’s assistance in identifying the driver of the vehicle involved.

“This was a serious and dangerous incident. Fortunately no one was hurt, but we still need to find out who is responsible and what happened to cause such a widespread spill, Grey County Director of Transportation Pat Hoy said in a news release. “We’re asking for the public’s help. Anyone with information about the spill, or anyone who witnessed it, are asked to contact Grey County.”

Information can be send by e-mail to roads@grey.ca or by calling 1-800-567-4739.

A Township of Chatsworth resident notified the county of the spill just before 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Crews from two patrols were sent to the scene to the investigate. Sand was applied to the surface to try to dry it and the ensure the road remained safe, the release said.

The material on the road hardened as it dried, similar to tar, the release said.

“Now that the material has hardened, we’re having success removing it with our sweepers,” Hoy said. “If this was an oil spill, we could have looked at more than $50,000 to properly clean up. Spills can also damage other vehicles, leading to avoidable insurance claims.”

The estimate cost of responding to and cleaning up the spill is about $8,000.

Hoy said every spill can be dangerous if not cleaned up quickly and it’s important to report them as soon as possible to the proper road authority.

For a road maintained by Grey County, the best number to call is 519-376-7337. For roads maintained by Bruce County, the OPP communications centre can be contacted at 1-888-310-1122 or Saugeen Shores police at 519-832-9200. To report a spill on a local municipal road, contact the municipality or the police.

For spills that involve chemicals or other harmful substances, including materials like oil, tar and salt, the responsible party is legally required to contact the Ministry of Environment tip line at 1-866-663-8477.

“This is a bad situation that could have been a lot worse,” Hoy said. “We hope it will serve as a reminder for anyone hauling materials to double check their loads before heading out in the road, and if they do have a spill, to pull over and report it.”