Algoma Steel Inc. has been given another extension on one of the three major oil spills since 2019.
A document it filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission will describe the event:
“On October 18, 2019, there was a rupture of a steam drain line which was located below an electrical room in our cokemaking by-products plant (“BP”), which resulted in a loss of power to the BP. In accordance with our emergency procedures, the coke oven gas bleeders were lit to flare the coke oven gas. Additionally, the loss of power caused the cokemaking south raw liquor tank and the tar running tanks to overflow. Raw liquor was conveyed to the main water filter plant (“MWFP”) via a sewer located in the BP. This resulted in effluent exceedances at the MWFP for phenol, ammonia and total cyanide and a toxicity failure for rainbow trout. The incident remains under investigation by MECP.”
This was filed back in July 2021.
Algoma Steel Inc. was back in court with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks on February 1 but one source says both parties agreed to another extension.
This is after there was an extension placed between the two parties back on November 30, 2022.
As long as the ministry will keep agreeing to provide time extensions, the court has been granting the motion.
Algoma Steel’s next court appearance is April 12, 2023.
The first power loss that caused a spill on March 9, 2019 caused 65-Million liters of waste oil to be spilled in the St. Mary’s River.
This spill on October 18, 2019, we do not know the extent of damages to the local ecosystems as of yet.
The last spill in June of last year has not been calculated by the ministry or Algoma Steel. The estimated amount of waste oil ranges from 10,000 to 40,000 liters.
