A milky white substance spotted at a stormwater management pond in Cambridge, Ont. is now believed to be a bacterial bloom. Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) said they were notified about an “odorous milky white substance” at 17 Vondrau Drive on July 19. The property belongs to Ascent’s TOR1 Data Centre. “The material is no longer entering the stormwater management pond and ministry staff are working with the responsible parties to ensure appropriate clean up measures are taken,” said Gary Wheeler, a senior media spokesperson for the ministry, in an email to CTV News. “[The Region of Waterloo] has confirmed that the drinking water system has not been impacted by this incident.” The Region of Waterloo said MECP was taking the lead on the investigation because the substance was found on private property. In a statement on Tuesday evening, Related Digital, the owner of the property, said the substance was related to bacteria. “Stagnant water, high temperatures, and the breakdown of naturally occurring organic matter caused anaerobic conditions in the stormwater detention pond located on our site, resulting in a bacterial bloom,” Related Digital wrote in an email to CTV News. “The laboratory results from testing on site show that the water quality was likely a result of natural processes, and not indicative of a release of any chemicals. Water testing downstream of the Site shows similar results. We are working closely with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), and have engaged a third-party environmental consultant to prevent future stagnation of the stormwater detention pond. While the condition is believed to be a natural occurrence, we are proactively draining and treating the stormwater detention pond before returning to standard operations.” The Grand River Conservation Authority was also involved in the emergency response. “When there’s a spill in the watershed, the GRCA may provide support to its watershed municipalities and the MECP by providing river flow information for pollutant travel times and to help ensure downstream drinking water plants are notified,” explained Lisa Stocco, the GRCA’s director of strategic communications. The agency said it provided a travel time estimate to the City of Brantford for its drinking water intake at the city’s request. “That has been the extent of the GRCA’s involvement,” Stocco said. The incident is also raising broader questions about environmental oversight as more AI-powered data centres are built across Ontario. Cybersecurity tech analyst Ritesh Kotak said data centres rely on a variety of chemicals and cooling systems to keep servers operating safely. Kotak said governments and municipalities need to ensure safeguards keep pace with the rapid growth of the industry. “There needs to be a catch-up from municipalities and governments to take this seriously,” he said. He added stronger oversight is needed “to ensure that if there ever is an issue, it’s being caught relatively quickly.” “I was alarmed and concerned,” said Aislinn Clancy, deputy leader of the Ontario Green Party and MPP for Kitchener Centre. “I think there’s a lot of concern about AI data centres and their impact on community, whether it’s energy that they use, the water that they require, and what is the community benefit.”
