An oil spill northeast of Stoughton has resulted in approximately 200,000 litres of oil being leaked onto the Ocean Man First Nation.
According to a statement released on Jan. 23, the provincial Ministry of the Environment was notified late on Jan. 20 of a pipeline leak. The affected area is northeast of Stoughton.
“The spill site is a low-lying area and contains a frozen slough,” the Ministry of Environment said in a statement. “The spill is fully contained within the spill location and the oil is not entering any creeks or streams.”
The pipeline was shut down upon discovery of the breach. The majority of the oil has been cleaned up.
An excavation of the release site has confirmed Tundra Energy Marketing Ltd. was the operator of the pipeline. The incident remains under investigation and TEML is working closely with regulatory bodies and the Ocean Man First nation to determine the cause of the incident.
Free-standing product has been removed from the site along with vegetation and contaminants. TEML will continue to work with all governing bodies throughout the remaining phases of the clean up.
Local air quality and wildlife have not been affected.
Cleanup work began on Jan. 21, and included the removal of surface oil with vacuum trucks and efforts to identify the source of the rupture. Further assessment and cleanup, including excavation work, will follow until the site is appropriately restored.
The petroleum and natural gas division of the Ministry of the Economy will be investigating the cause of the spill and will be onsite overseeing clean-up efforts and pipeline repairs.
The Ministry of the Economy is provincial lead, while Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) is the federal lead, since the spill occurred on First Nations land.
The Green Party of Saskatchewan responded to the pipeline leak, noting that this is the second significant one to occur in Saskatchewan in seven months.
The Green Party was also critical of the lack of information about the pipeline leak, as it took three days before it was acknowledged.
