Towing company and owner fined for Grand River oil spill

Spilled oil is seen along the shore of the Grand River in Kitchener on Saturday, April 30, 2016. (Nadia Matos / CTV Kitchener)

A Kitchener towing company and its owner have been fined for a $1.3 million oil spill in the Grand River.

Ronald Behrendt, the owner of Code Yellow Towing, contacted environmental officials on May 3^rd, 2016 about a motor oil spill near Victoria Street North.

That’s four days after it was first discovered.

P.V. Development Corporation, which owns the tow truck company, leased an industrial garage space on Forwell Road for truck maintenance and oil changes.

Sometime before April 29^th, 2016, an 800-litre storage tank of used motor oil leaked due to a broken valve. It’s believed about half of the barrel’s contents spilled into the river.

The Ministry of the Environment was called in to investigate the city took responsibility for cleaning up the spill.

732,900 litres of water and nearly 750 tonnes of soil had to be removed from the area around the river due to suspected contamination.

On April 3, 2018, the ministry fined both the company and Behrendt.

P.V. Development Corporation was fined $50,000, in addition to a $12,500 victim fine surcharge.

Behrendt was also fined $6,000, plus $1,500.

In addition, both were ordered to pay restitution to the City of Kitchener for cleanup costs.

Together they’re required to pay $122,000.

The city’s cost for the cleanup was $1.3 million.