Oil spill cleanup northeast of Deloraine continues
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/06/2015 (3935 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A man-made error led to between 34,000 and 35,000 litres of oil spilling on the ground near Deloraine on the weekend.
The spill occurred at a Tundra Oil and Gas battery 16 kilometres northeast of Deloraine.
However, it was ultimately “inattention” from a trucker with Spearing Service that caused the spill.
“He kept filling his tank truck well beyond his capacity,” Tundra president Ken Neufeld said. “The company we employ there has accepted full responsibility.”
Jason Schmecht with Spearing Service declined comment about Sunday’s spill.
A Manitoba Petroleum Branch inspector was immediately dispatched to the site.
“We estimate about 34 cubes of clean oil was spilled onto the ground, and as liquid does, it starts to find a low spot and travel,” Neufeld said. “It followed a drainage route, got into a drainage ditch, through a culvert and into a slough nearby. So it’s more than a spill on lease, it’s off-lease as well.”
“Clean oil” refers to oil that has been pumped to an upstream facility such as a battery and has gone through a separator to remove any impurities such as salt water.
This spill is estimated to have affected about 1,500 square metres.
As of Monday, most of the free fluids had been removed during cleanup, according to a Petroleum Branch spokesperson.
Dirt and solids affected by the spill will be hauled to a licensed oilfield waste disposal site.
“The Petroleum Branch will continue to monitor progress of the spill cleanup and the site will be entered into the branch’s spill site rehabilitation program, requiring full cleanup to Canada-wide standards,” the spokesperson said.
Neufeld said while the spill wasn’t of Tundra’s making, the company takes these matters seriously and will ensure the land is returned to its pre-spill state.
“We are leading the efforts to fix this as fast as we can,” he said. “We’ve created some diking to stop any further migration and are recovering contaminated water and oil from the slough.”
The landowner and representatives from the Municipality of Deloraine-Winchester have also been notified of the spill.
» ctweed@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @CharlesTweed