[W. K. Lis]

Ectoplasm?

Better call in The Ghostbusters!

 

[jcam]

Drill and crane.

The north end of the station is adjacent to this work on YC condos......

 

[TheTigerMaster]

It's apparantly groundwater.

 

[nfitz]

Byford has speculated that it is 'kerosene' from an underground tank. Might be language from across the pond, but I think it may be an attempt to convey that it is a bit more viscous than say, diesel.

Wouldn't kerosene be less viscous than diesel?

And I thought kerosene WAS the North American word - wouldn't the UK equivalent be paraffin?

 

[the lemur]

Byford has speculated that it is 'kerosene' from an underground tank. Might be language from across the pond, but I think it may be an attempt to convey that it is a bit more viscous than say, diesel.

Heating oil?

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Full subway service resumes on Line 1 after leak capped

Though TTC officials were initially concerned that the liquid may have been diesel fuel or another flammable substance, spokesperson Brad Ross tells CP24 that it was likely just “ground water with some latent oil that was sitting there” mixed in.

Subway re-opens following mystery leak at College Station

At first, it was thought that the leak was gasoline, kerosene or oil, based on its odour. But Byford told CTV Toronto the leak appeared to be a hydrocarbon substance coming from a boiler room or basement tank of a nearby building.

Whatever the source, I won't be surprised if there was minimal hydrocarbon content. Apparently a human nose is very sensitive to VOCs and other organic compounds in gasoline and other oil products, even if its a few parts per million.

 

[Electrify]

I'm just waiting to find out that we shut down downtown subway service due to water or some other harmless substance. Because that is what Toronto does.

 

[nfitz]

I'm just waiting to find out that we shut down downtown subway service due to water or some other harmless substance. Because that is what Toronto does.

That's what any city would do. What an odd comment ...

It's probably just groundwater, and it's contaminated in that area. Not a shock anywhere downtown really.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I'm just waiting to find out that we shut down downtown subway service due to water or some other harmless substance. Because that is what Toronto does.

Whatever.

And if this "harmless substance" turned out to be gas, or another combustible substance, and exploded as a train rolled over it, potentially killing hundreds, I'm sure you'd be the first to scream about how the TTC should have shut down service

I applaud the TTC's actions today. Too many disasters have been because of people wrecklessly prioritizing convenience over safety.

 

[adma]

And I'll say this much: after the worst of the morning rush was over and done with, shuttle bus service actually worked quite smoothly and manageably...

 

[nfitz]

And I'll say this much: after the worst of the morning rush was over and done with, shuttle bus service actually worked quite smoothly and manageably...

I heard positive comments at about 7:30 AM as well.

 

[salsa]

Some video footage:

[video=youtube;l7Mot6sJYuw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7Mot6sJYuw[/video]

 

[W. K. Lis]

Though they "filled" the joint to stop the leakage at that point, that liquid cocktail still has to go someplace. Looks like they created a drainage system into the sewer, hopefully with a trap to prevent smells from escaping. They still have to find the source.

 

[nfitz]

Though they "filled" the joint to stop the leakage at that point, that liquid cocktail still has to go someplace. Looks like they created a drainage system into the sewer, hopefully with a trap to prevent smells from escaping. They still have to find the source.

Do they? You dig a hole in that part of town, and you are very likely to hit something similar from old gas stations and dry cleaners. The old glacial beach terraces are highly conductive and transport some of these contaminants good distances. There's a lot of stuff that has been found over the years with no one looking for the sources. As long as no one is drinking the water, and it's not leading to indoor air issues, there's little reason to pursue it.

 

[mrxbombastic]

Just looking over at LostRivers.ca there was and presumably still is a river (tunneled or blocked) that ran directly through the path of the subway tunnel crossing Yonge near Grosvenor called Maple Leaf Stream, itself part of the large Moss Park Creek, and in turn part of the more famous Taddle Creek system.

The ground water is likely related I would suspect and the hydrocarbons came from general pollution in the area. See the links below for the accurate mappings.

http://lostrivers.ca/content/mossparkcreek.html

http://lostrivers.ca/content/taddlekey.html