Test results are in and officials in Guelph say they now know what was inside the eight barrels discovered under a water main construction site.
The 170-litre barrels were unearthed last week at the site north of Wellington Street, near the Hanlon Parkway.
Monday evening, the city issued a press release saying the drums contained substances such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzens, xylene, and styrene – all of which, it says, are commonly used in fuels, as solvents or in manufacturing.
A total of 34,700 litres of liquid – comprised of rainwater and material which had leaked out of the barrels – were removed from the site; contaminated soil is being removed as well.
Work on the water main project has been postponed for the time being.
In the 1950s, the area where the barrels were discovered was a landfill site.
