A black petroleum-like substance on the Grand River appeared this week, indicating heavy oil.
Professor Mark Servos from the Department of Biology was interviewed by Melanie Ferrier from CBC News about the social and ecological implications of the spill.
As the University of Waterloo's Canada Research Chair in Water Quality Protection, Servos studies the impacts of small chemical spills on rainbow darters, a small fish found in the Grand River.
The storm water [system], it's designed to capture some of the particles and things – some of the metals – but it's not designed to capture people pouring a can of oil or a can of paint," he said. "We need to be aware that our actions and our decisions every day make a huge difference on the quality of that river. It's not just the industry. It's us as well."
Read the full CBC News story.