Fish kill on Rigaud River being investigated

Candice Vetter

I asked MECP about a fish kill reported by residents along the Rigaud River near St-Eugene. This is the response from Gary Wheeler,

The Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks takes all spills and threats to the environment seriously. The ministry responds to spills, inspects the natural environment for potential adverse effects, and works with those responsible for the spill to hold them accountable for ensuring adverse effects are mitigated and appropriate actions are taken to protect human health and the natural environment.

On September 2, 2021, the Ministry became aware of and attended an alleged spill and fish die-off along the Rigaud River near 185 County Road 10, east of the village of St Eugene.

Ministry staff have been to the site three times since the alleged spill was reported and continue to gather information to determine if a spill occurred, the cause of the reported fish kill and if there were any environmental impacts to the Rigaud River and downstream locations.

The water samples we collected from the Rigaud River may help to inform whether a spill occurred, the approximate location or to identify if the fish kill is related to natural causes. Sample results may be available within a week or two however, while results will provide some information about water quality at the time the samples were collected, they may not identify the exact cause of a spill if one occurred.