Harbour cleanup continues near Bayfront Park after oily sheen found on the water

A large vacuum truck spent Thursday morning sucking liquid out of a harbour culvert near Bayfront Park where an oily substance was found last weekend.

CN Rail says it has been helping clean up an oily sheen" recently found leaking from the culvert that runs under the popular waterfront trail that hugs both the harbour and a sprawling rail shunting yard. But the national rail giant maintains no link" has been found between the oil and CN operations.

A crowd gathered near the shoreline Thursday as a Super Sucker" truck started vacuuming up liquid near the culvert.

CN spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis said the company has been assisting" in cleanup and testing for a few days, including setting up protective floating booms" in the area Sunday after a resident tweeted photos of an oily sheen on the water.

But Thursday morning, he said to his knowledge no link" has been found between the oil and the rail yard.

The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks is also looking into the reported pollution. A spokesperson was not immediately available to say whether a source had been pinpointed or any formal cleanup directions issued.

The city took water samples at the culvert earlier this week, said spokesperson Jasmine Graham, but she could not immediately say what those tests showed. City staff also checked other nearby outfalls into the harbour, but found no similar issues.

The city does not believe the pollution is related to a September oil spill that prompted a separate harbour cleanup near the park.

Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com