Utility piping at Algoma Steel’s
coke-making plant collapsed early Saturday morning. Jan. 20/24. (Viewer
submitted photo)Production at the plant has since been interrupted.
Speaking with CTV News on Sunday
a spokesperson for Algoma Steel said the company cannot confirm what
exactly leaked from the broken piping into the water.
"The testing is
underway," said spokesperson Laura Devon, in a phone interview with CTV
News.
"We're doing testing at our
water treatment plant and the Ministry of the Environment(opens in a new
tab) was on site doing testing as well. We await those results.
So, I can't comment any further at this time."
Shortly after 4 p.m. on Saturday,
the steelmaker issued a news release(opens in a new
tab) reporting that no one was injured in the collapse and only
coke-making processes were affected and all other operations at the mill are
not affected.
“(Our) team is managing the
occurrence with the safety of our employees and the community as our highest
priority,” the company said in the news release.
Algoma Steel said it has notified
both regulatory and community stakeholders and is working with them to
“mitigate and monitor” any possible impacts to the environment and the
community.
“The incident resulted in a coke
oven gas main failure generating abnormal coke oven gas flaring and air
emissions,” the release reads.
“Additionally, a quantity of
effluent (liquid waste) left our site early this morning and entered the
adjacent waterway.”
Officials with the steelmaker
said the source of the discharge has been identified and efforts for
containment are underway.
In 2022, an oil spill on the
steel plant property led to the shutdown of the St. Marys River, as well as a
water advisory from Algoma Public Health. It was also later revealed that the
city was first notified of the spill by an employee, not Algoma Steel.
However, Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Matthew Shoemaker(opens in a new
tab) said he was notified promptly Saturday of the situation at
the coke making plant.
"Certainly, I was notified
early yesterday morning and to the extent, I was able to notify additional city
actors like the CAO(opens in a new tab) and
then the emergency services folks," the mayor said.
Shoemaker said he has been given
no indication that this incident presents any danger to the public.
"I don't believe there are,
at this point, any city resources being put towards Algoma Steel's efforts to
mitigate and things of that nature,” said Shoemaker.
“Which to me is an indication
that the consequences are not such that they require drastic municipal actions
to stop people from consuming water or anything of that nature."
Prior to his interview Sunday,
Shoemaker said in an email sent to CTV News on Saturday evening that he has
been briefed about the pipe-collapse incident at Algoma Steel and provided the
following statement:
“Algoma Steel has issued a news
release about an incident at its coke-making plant that resulted in abnormal
coke oven gas flaring, air emissions and discharge entering the adjacent
waterway.
Protecting our environment and natural resources is paramount and I will remain
in close contact with Algoma Steel moving forward.”