SPILLS ACTION CENTRE SUMMARY REPORT OF 1994 SPILLS NOVEMBER 1995 @ Ministryof Ontario Environment and Energy ISSN1192-5078 SPILLS ACTION CENTRE SUMMARY REPORT OF 1994 SPILLS NOVE®MBER 1995 Cettepublicationtechnique n'estdisponiblequ'enanglais. Copyright: Queen'sPrinterforOntario, 1995 Thispublicationmaybereproducedfornon-commercialpurposes withappropriateattribution. PIBS2744E02 ABSTRACT TheOntarioMinistryofEnvironmentandEnergy's SpillsActionCentrereceivesand initiatesresponsestoreportsofspillsandotherurgentenvironmentalincidentsona 24-hourperdaybasis. Thisreportprovidesasummarizedreviewofspillsreportedtothe Ministryduringthecalendaryearof1994,andcomparesthisinformationtothatobtained inpreviousyears. The SpillsActionCentredocumented 13 529occurrencesin 1994. Spillsaccovintedfor 5 007oftheseoccurrences;theremainderincludedacombinationofMinistry-required notifications(otherthanspills),andenvironmentalcomplaintsfromthegeneralpublic. ThenumberofspillsreportedtotheMinistryin 1994increasedby3 percentfrom 1993. Thisisthefirstincreaseinthenumberofreportedspillssince 1989. Thenumberof spills towaterandspillstoairaccountedforsomeofthis increasewhilethenumberofspillsto landremainedvirtuallyunchanged. Oilsandfuelsaccountedfor55 percentofspilledmaterials;chemicalsandchemical solutionsaccountedfor 17percent;wastesandwastewaters 18percent; gaseous emissions6percent;whileotherandunknownmaterialsaccountedfortheremaining4 percent. Alargeproportionofthereportedspillsinvolvedsmallvolumes. Cumulatively, 20percentofthespilledmaterialsinvolvedvolumeslessthan 10litres;55percentwere lessthan 100litres;and86percent werelessthan 1 000litres. All occurrencesreportedtotheMinistry,includingspills,aredocumentedona computerizeddatabasemanagementsystemcalledtheOccurrenceReportInformation System(ORIS). TheinformationstoredonthissystemisusedtoassisttheMinistryand others, suchasEnvironmentCanadaandtheInternationalJointCommissionontheGreat Lakes,inidentifyingandevaluatingenvironmentalconcerns. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i INTRODUCTION 1 Ontario'sSpillsLegislation 1 The SpillsActionCentre 1 TheOccurrenceReportInformationSystem 2 SPILLS-- 1994SUMMARY 3 Yearly Spill Totals 3 SpillsToLand, Water,AndAir 3 SpillsByMunicipalLocation 3 TypesAndVolumesOfMaterialsSpilled 6 EnvironmentalImpact 10 Spill Cleanup... 12 SpillsBy SectorAndSource , 14 SpillsByCauseAndReason 18 SPILLSTOTHEGREATLAKES SYSTEM 21 PLANNINGFORSPILLCONTINGENCIES 25 TheCanada/UnitedStatesWaterQualityAgreement 25 TheCanada/UnitedStatesJointMarinePollutionContingencyPlan 25 TheCanadianMarineContingencyPlan 25 TheProvinceofOntarioContingencyPlan ForSpillsofOilandotherHazardousMaterials 25 TheProvinceofOntarioNuclearPlan 26 TheCanada-OntarioAgreement(COA) SpillReductionCommitment 26 MOEE'sContingencyPlaimingOffice 26 APPENDIXI -SampleOccurrenceReport APPENDIXII -SectorandSourceMatrix APPENDIXIII -CauseandReasonMatrix APPENDIXIV -DefinitionsandReportingExemptions LIST OF TABLES 1. SpillsActionCentre SummaryReportof1994Spills EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TheOntarioMinistryofEnvironmentandEnergy'sSpillsActionCentrereceivesandinitiatesresponses toreportsofspillsandotherurgentenvironmental incidentsona24-hourperdaybasis. Thisreport providesasummarizedreviewofspillsreportedtotheMinistryduringthecalendaryearof1994,and comparesthisinformationtothatobtainedinpreviousyears. The SpillsActionCentredocumented 13 529occurrencesin 1994. Spillsaccountedfor5 007ofthese occurrences;theremainderincludedacombinationofMinistry-requirednotifications(otherthanspills), andenvironmental complaintsfromthegeneralpublic. ThenumberofspillsreportedtotheMinistryin 1994increasedby3 percentfrom 1993. Thisisthefu-st increaseinthenumberofreportedspillssince 1989. Thenumberof spillstowaterandspillstoair accountedforsomeofthisincreasewhilethenumberofspillstolandremainedvirtuallyunchanged. Oilsandfuelsaccountedfor55percentofspilledmaterials;chemicalsandchemicalsolutionsaccounted for 17percent;wastesandwastewaters 18percent; gaseousemissions6percent; whileotherand unknownmaterialsaccountedfortheremaining4percent. Alargeproportionofthereportedspills involvedsmallvolumes. Cumulatively, 20percentofthespilledmaterialsinvolvedvolumeslessthan 10 litres; 55 percentwerelessthan 100litres;and 86percent werelessthan 1 000litres. About 18percentofthespillshadaconfirmedenvironmentalimpactidentified. Two-thirdsofthese involvedsoilcontamination,andlessthanone-fifthinvolvedwaterpollution. Eightspillswerereported tohaveconfirmedhumanhealthandsafetyconcerns. Fiveindustrialsectorsaccountedforthemajorityofreportedspillsin 1994: transportationaccountedfor 18percent;pefroleumfor 10percent;metallurgicalfor7percent;generalmanufacturingfor6percent; and,chemical for4percent. Publicsectorspills, including spillsfromelectricutilitiesandsewage utilities,accountedfor 18percentofreportedspills. Motorvehicleswerethelargestsourceofspills, accountingformorethan26percentofreportedspills. Spillsfrommanufacturingandprocessing facilitiesaccountedfor21 percent. In 1994, 1217 spillswereeitherentirelyorpartiallydischargedtowatercourses. Ofthese, 164involved oilorchemicalspillstotheGreatLakessystem, including: 51 toLakeOntario,24tothe St.Lawrence River,22toLakeHuron,22tothe St. ClairRiver, 16toLakeErie,and 10toLake Superior. The remaining 19 spillsweredischargestotheDetroitRiver, St. MarysRiver,NiagaraRiver, andWelland Canal. Overalltherewere2morespillstotheGreatLakessystemin 1994ascomparedto 1993. AlloccurrencesreportedtotheMinistry,includingspills,aredocumentedonacomputerizeddatabase managementsystemcalledtheOccurrenceReportInformationSystem(ORIS). Theinformationstored onthissystemisusedtoassisttheMinistryandothers,suchasEnvironmentCanadaandthe InternationalJointCommissionontheGreatLakes,inidentifyingandevaluatingenvironmental SpillsActionCentre SummaryReportof1994Spills Usingthistypeofinformation,theMinistrydevelopsandmodifiespollutionabatementprogramsand spillpreventioninitiativesastrendsorconcernsareidentified. TheMinistryiscurrentlyworkingwith EnvironmentCanadaundertheCanadaOntarioAgreementstopreventandcontrol spillsbyimproving federalandprovincialspillprevention,preparedness,andresponseprogramsinpriorityareasacrossthe province(suchasthe St. ClairRiver). Fiveeducationalworkshopswillbepresentedtoindustrialand municipalgroupsinthesepriorityareastopromoteawarenessoftheenvironmentalconsequencesof spills. Inaddition,theMinistryisinvestgatingthefeasibilityofaone-windowapproachtofederaland provincialspillreporting. TheMinistryisactivelyinvolvedinplanningforspillcontingencies. TheMinistry'sContingency PlarmingProgramprovidesadviceandassistancetoindustryandothergovernmentagenciesthat respondtospills. TheMinistryisresponsibleformaintainingtheProvinceofOntarioContingencyPlan forSpillsofOilandotherHazardousMaterialswhichprovidesamechanismtodealwithmajorspills underprovincialjurisdiction.