Unknown quantity of oil spilled into sewers

An unknown amount of oil from the Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC) spilled into Regina’s sewers sometime last week.

According to Brad Delorey, spokesperson for the CRC, the spill was detected May 22 “late in the morning.”

The amount of oil spilled was not known by Delorey or the City of Regina as of Friday evening.

“I don’t know the quantity; the situation has been resolved and they are looking at a long-term solution with the City of Regina,” said Delorey.

The preliminary investigation attributes the spill to high winds. As Delorey explained, high wind gusts caused waves to form on outdoor ponds located at the CRC where oil is stored. The waves then kicked up sediment sitting on the bottom of the ponds, dislodging the sludge, which then caused a discharge after entering a pump.

“Some of that got into the discharge to the city wastewater system,” said Delorey, quoting an engineer that was familiar with the spill.

Normally wastewater from those ponds would discharged to the city for treatment.

Delorey said that since there was no threat posed by the spill, the city and the refinery did not alert the public.

An investigation into the cause of the spill and the amount of oil that was spilled is currently underway.

When asked if wind has ever caused a similar spill, Delorey said that he was not aware, saying that it could have been because of the “constant 70 km/h wind.”

Wind speeds on May 22 recorded by Environment Canada registered a top speed of 48 km/h.

In the days prior to the spill being detected, wind speeds reached 64 km/h on May 20 and 67 km/h on May 21.

In an emailed response, a spokesperson for the city said it had been made aware of the spill and quickly contained it.

“As a precaution, downstream users are being notified, but no action is required at this time,” said the spokesperson.

According to the spokesperson, the city is still conducting tests on the impact of the spill, anticipating test results early this coming week.

“The Water Security Agency and the Ministry of Environment indicated that there was low risk to the environment,” said a city spokesperson.

The Ministry of Environment will not be investigating the spill at this time according to Wayne Wark, executive director of communications with the ministry.

That’s due to an effluent agreement between the city and the refinery.

“The discharge was confined to a contained system,” Wark said in an email. He added that the discharge did not affect the natural environment.

“It was the City that first identified the incident/ impact to its Wastewater Treatment Facility,” said Wark.