More oil is seeping through Bonfield and another furnace is to blame.
The township’s Chief Administrative Officer, Nicky Kunkel, explained that the furnace failed, and “furnace fuel did leak into the ditch last week.” The town took immediate action, “to mitigate further leaching into the ditch” as per the Ministry of Environment’s advice.
BayToday was in town on Tuesday to interview George Hodges, a resident who recently had oil flood into his land due to a neighbour’s malfunctioning oil furnace. While leaving, the sight of absorbent pads and boom socks in the ditch demanded our attention
See: Oil spill fuels a homeowner’s nightmare in Bonfield
The absorbent pads are on the right side of the ditch (while facing the lake) at the end of Church Street, alongside the playground on Mark Street. The pads and boom socks run down the ditch, through the park, and into Lake Nosbonsing.
Standing on the path between the parking lot and the playground, you could get a whiff of diesel from time to time.
“We are waiting for a report on the status of the remedial work,” Kunkel said, mentioning the homeowner and their insurance are dealing with the situation.
“We are monitoring but it’s ongoing,” Kunkel continued, and the town will leave the pads out as a precautionary measure “until we hear from the homeowner’s insurance.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
