PAYNTON — Residents in the Maidstone and Paynton area are still dealing with the after-effects of a well release incident that happened May 9 at the Rush Lake 2 thermal facility.
According to an email from Cenovus Energy, the release was primarily water vapour, however, other safety measures have been put into place. Berms have been installed to help isolate the impacted area, with no evidence of impact on nearby bodies of water or local wildlife. Cenovus said in their email that they will continue to monitor the nearby water bodies as a precaution.
There have been complaints of a foul odour from residents in the area since the incident. The smell is used to detect hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas and air quality testing has been ongoing by Cenovus.
“We are still testing air quality, using both fixed and mobile monitoring, and updating the Ministry of Energy and Resources. Our testing indicates that while the H2S levels may be detectable as an odour, they are not considered to represent a health concern,” said the email.
Residents who live within five kilometres of the facility are continually being updated by Cenovus, as well as the local representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Resources. A community phone line (1-877-697-4480) has been set up for regional residents should they have any questions.
Cenovus did not provide any information on how the incident happened or an estimated timeline of when the situation will be resolved.
