A local resident made quite the discovery on Monday afternoon in Stratford.
“I was looking out into our backyard and great big bubbles were floating through the air,” said Kelly Judge. “If it was the summer, I would have thought it was a birthday party, but the fact that it was happening in the middle of winter made me very curious to seek out the source.”
Judge’s house butts up against the hydro easement line, which is attached to the golf course. So she cut through her back yard until she found the source of her curiosity.
“I kept walking and following the bubbles until I found the river,” she said. “There was maybe six feet or more bubbling up, and travelling quite a distance down towards the golf course.”
Judge messaged a picture to her neighbour, as well as contacting the city. For Judge she is concerned about the possible reasons behind the bubbles.
“I’m not an expert, but I have two theories,” she said. “I thought perhaps mischief on the part of someone dumping detergent into the water source. My other idea was perhaps some sort of industrial accident.”
Judge says she is pretty sure the smell she has been encountering is that of detergent.
“The smell for me is a big clue that it is detergent,” she said. “It could be something else, but it's a very clean smell.”
The environmental team with the city is looking at next steps. To complicate matters the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority is closed until Thursday, Jan. 2 for the holidays. At the time of publishing the conservation authority has not responded to messages or email, and the city has not provided any updates on the situation.
