A Quebecois man was hit with a massive fine after a huge fuel spill polluted crucial waterways in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.
According to Punch, transport company driver Daniel Chayer was fined $35,000 for violations of the Fisheries Act and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
In 2021, Chayer was delivering fuel to a car rental company in Dorval, when he mistakenly attempted to transfer 20,000 liters (about 5,283 gallons) of gasoline into a 5,000-liter (1,321-gallon) tank, causing massive overflow.
The full 15,000 excess liters (nearly 4,000 gallons) flowed into the area storm drain system and then Bouchard Creek, a key fish-carrying waterway that feeds into Lake Saint-Louis.
Besides contaminating a water source that many Canadian communities rely on, this spill harmed the wildlife as well.
"Depositing a harmful substance into waters frequented by fish, or in any location where it may enter such waters, is a serious offence under the Fisheries Act," an Environment and Climate Change Canada spokesperson said, per Punch. "Additionally, failure to comply with regulations governing petroleum storage tank systems constitutes a violation of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999."
It was deemed that Chayer was negligent in following procedure, and didn't check the identification number on the tank, which would have prevented the calamity from happening.
According to Punch, the contamination posed a significant threat to aquatic life and the local ecosystem.
Apart from the threat posed by pollution from gasoline, it is a massive threat to the environment in either its refined or unrefined forms. A huge spill in Russian waters could have catastrophic effects on the surrounding ecosystem, and weather patterns have made cleanup difficult. In Nigeria, a Shell oil pipeline ruptured at a refinery, the latest in a long line of issues at the site.
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Never 👎 In this case, Canadian authorities were quick to act and emphasized the importance of following correct procedure.
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"We take incidents like this very seriously and will continue working to protect Canada's air, water, and natural environment," the agency stated.
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