B.C. company fined $755K after discharging ammonia into Fraser River

The Fraser River is pictured on Monday, July 6, 2020.

A cold storage company from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been fined $755,000 after pleading guilty to discharging contaminated ammonia into the Fraser River.

Authorities were called to Arctic Pearl Ice and Cold Storage Ltd.'s Richmond warehouse in November 2017 after a garbage collector became sick from ammonia fumes, Environment and Climate Change Canada said in a news release.

The incident led authorities to a high-pressure storage tank full of contaminated ammonia, which was overflowing into a storm drain that leads into the river.

"Experts estimate that approximately 1,227 lbs. of ammonia was released into the environment, approximately 929 lbs. of which was released into the storm sewer," the release said.

The remainder of the hazardous material, which had come from a fishing vessel that was undergoing maintenance on its refrigeration system, vaporized into the air.

ECCC said the incident violated Section 36(3) of the federal Fisheries Act, which prohibits "the deposit of deleterious substances into water frequented by fish."

Arctic Pearl Ice and Cold Storage Ltd. also pleaded guilty to two counts under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act. Officials said the tank containing the ammonia wasn't built to the required specifications for moving dangerous materials, and that the employee who drove the tank across Richmond in a truck lacked the necessary training certificate to do so.

No one involved in the incident had any of the "required training in the handling, transportation and storage of ammonia," according to the release.

The company was fined $700,000 for the Fisheries Act violation and $55,000 for the two Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act offences. It will also be added to Canada's Environmental Offenders Registry, which identifies corporations convicted under certain federal environmental laws.

Prior to the incident, Arctic Pearl Ice and Cold Storage Ltd. declined an offer from a contractor to safely dispose of the ammonia for a quoted price of $19,000 plus taxes, according to the release.