Chemical spill in Marathon

Tembec officials are calling it an emergency situation after a chemical spill in Marathon over the weekend.

The company has experienced its third chemical spill since December from a pipeline that was used to transfer black liquor from the dormant Marathon Pulp facility to a spill basin outside the community.

The latest leak was spotted around noon Sunday during a regular maintenance check, about 50 metres from Lake Superior.

Clean-up crews were on site soon afterward. Because the crews were unable to fix the leak, which is located five metres underground. The chemicals have been spilling at a rate of 1,200 litres per hour.

Tembec officials say there is no more safe storage space on the mill site. The only option is to vacuum the spilled chemicals into two industrial clean-up trucks.

Once the trucks are full, they'll be driven to a spill basin where the chemicals will be deposited.

Ministry of the Environment is monitoring the process.