Oil spill threatens Alberta’s Red Deer River

Getaway for Calgarians known as pristine wilderness

A pipeline leak has dumped between 1,000 and 3,000 barrels of oil into a tributary of the Red Deer River, the second time in four years that a ruptured pipe has leaked crude oil into one of the province’s most important waterways.

Detected Thursday night, the spill caused between 160,000 and 475,000 litres of light crude oil to pour into Jackson Creek near the community of Sundre, about 100 kilometres southwest of Red Deer.

Pipeline operator Plains Midstream Canada said it has closed off its network of lines in the area. The same company’s Rainbow pipeline ruptured in April of last year, causing one of the worst spills in the province’s history.

“We are extremely concerned,” said Bruce Beattie, reeve of Mountain View County, which includes Jackson Creek. “We’re hoping that between Alberta Environment and the oil companies responsible, they will be taking every method possible in order to contain the spill and mitigate the impact,” he said. Sundre and its surrounding area is considered pristine wilderness. It’s a common getaway for residents of Calgary, and is popular with anglers and hunters. Rain has recently swollen the waterways in the area, and local officials are worried that a big spill could spread downstream fast. Plains Midstream said it was light sour crude that spilled, which has a strong petroleum odour that “does not pose a health or safety risk to the public.” The company said booms are being deployed at nearby Gleniffer Reservoir to contain the release. It is not yet known if Red Deer’s drinking water will be affected, said Alberta Environment spokeswoman Jessica Potter, but residents have been told they don’t have to worry right now. Drinking water has been brought in for local resort operators as a contingency measure, according to Plains Midstream. Booms are the best way to contain spills that occur near water treatment plants because oil floats on top of water, while drinking water intakes are located deep into a wa- terway, said Kate Jordan of Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment. That means chemical treatment of the water is not necessary. “Commonly (water treatment plants) will just monitor their intakes. In rare cases they could close the intakes while the spill was being cleaned up,” she said.

The cause of Thursday’s rupture is under investigation, said Bob Curran, spokesperson for the Energy Resources Conservation Board, the province’s resource regulator.

“Depending on what we find, we may or may not issue enforcement against the company,” he said.