Oil spill site not threatened by raging wildfires

Clean-up at the site of the largest crude oil spill in three decades in Alberta has gotten underway again after being stalled for 10 days due to raging wildfires east and north of Slave Lake.

“In the early stages people were evacuated from the immediate area because the fire was moving very quickly, but there’s no reports from the ground that the site (of the oil spill) is actively threatened,” said Rob Harris, a fire information officer with Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.

On April 29, a portion of Rainbow Pipeline, operated by Plains Midstream Canada and located about 20 km from Little Buffalo, ruptured and released 28,000 barrels of light, sweet crude oil. The oil was largely contained on the 30-metre-wide pipeline right-of-way, although some escaped into a nearby wetland. A beaver dam contained the spill to a pond.

Approximately 300 response personnel were working in shifts on containment, oil recovery, line repair and site remediation until the evacuation order was issued by Northern Sunrise County Emergency Response Centre on the morning of May 15. The evacuation order was lifted by the county on May 22, with full-scale clean-up operations resuming May 25.

“Even with the evacuation order lifted, conditions can change quickly. We will remain in daily contact with Alberta Sustainable Resource Development to understand area wildfire activity and its implications on the work taking place at the clean-up site,” wrote Plains Midstream in a pipeline update announcing the return of crews to the site.

Clean-up timelines had ranged up to six months prior to the delay in work.

Stephen Bart, vice president of operations for Plains Midstream said his company will be there as long as it takes to “clean up the spill and properly remediate it.” Plains Midstream is also covering the cost.

Plains Midstream applied to reactivate the line less than two weeks after the spill and while site clean-up was underway.

“The repairs have been completed. We’re providing technical information so everyone can be satisfied, as we are, that the line is safe to resume operation,” said Bart.