The Mayor of Sioux Lookout believes they are making some headway on the clean-up of Farlinger Park/Town Beach.
Doug Lawrance says they have been working closely with CN Rail and the provincial Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on a remediation plan.
Lawrance believes things are stable now.
He says CN has announced a pilot program to install a series of wells, which will send air into the soil at Town Beach, accelerating current efforts.
Lawrance says the “sparging” will act as a barrier and keep any fuel away from the water.
A diesel fire in 1987 at the nearby CN Rail property is the main cause of the contamination.
Since then, the community has been concerned about an oily substance found in the area, which was staining the sand, and at times, creating a sheen on the water.
Lawrance says they still plan to overhaul the beach area, and anticipates construction to begin in 2019.
That will result in the closure of the area for another two summers.
He says municipal staff should be commended for resolving this problem and finding a solution with CN and the province.
Lawrance says the spill occurred on CN land and migrated under what was at the time a provincial highway network.
