PIPELINE BREAKS IN ALBERTA
Spill of up to 475,000 litres of crude oil from a pipeline has spread along a 56- kilometre path in a pristine wilderness area
CALGARY — Containment booms have been set up at a reservoir in westcentral Alberta to sop up crude oil flowing in the swollen Red Deer River from a pipeline leak north of Sundre.
Water intake valves along the 56- kilometre spill path have been shut and residents downstream of the town were notified of the spill, Alberta Environment said Friday.
Residents along the banks of the river have already reported the stench of sour oil and sightings of dead wildlife following the up- to- 475,000- litre spill into a tributary north of Sundre, about 80 kilometres northwest of Calgary, Thursday evening.
Pipeline operator Plains Midstream Canada said it shut down its Rangeland pipeline immediately following notification of the leak at Jackson Creek. The company said the strong odour resulting from the oil did not pose a health or safety risk to the public.
Provincial environment and energy regulators had representatives on the scene of the spill but were unable to give details about the size and scope of the oil release.
“The company has mobilized resources to contain and recover the hydrocarbons but we don’t know many details beyond that,” said Bob Curran with the Energy Resource Conservation Board.
Curran said the oil had flowed into the Red Deer River, but did not know how far the slick had spread.
Early Friday the province advised City of Red Deer officials that oil had reached a recreational lake west of Innisfail. “The province is currently working to contain the product in the Gleniffer reservoir and is actively working on clean up,” said a statement on the City of Red Deer’s website.
The reservoir is about five to six hours distance by water flow from the city, based on current conditions, said city spokesman Leslie Chivers.
“Right now we are monitoring developments as they occur,” he said. “The province actually believes the product can be contained and cleaned up. We do have a group just in case that does not occur.”
The Red Deer River is running slightly higher and faster than usual at this time of year as heavy rains exacerbate spring run- off, prompting flood alerts in southwestern Alberta.
The area around Sundre is considered pristine wilderness by many in Alberta. It’s a common getaway area for people in Calgary and popular with anglers and hunters.
The Snakes Head and Butcher Creek natural areas are downstream from the town and likely were affected by the spill.
Plains Midstream Canada recently finished cleaning up one of the largest oil spills in Alberta’s history, a 28,000- barrel leak northeast of Peace River that occurred April 29, 2011.