Cleanup and investigative efforts are still underway, after an oil spill from a pipeline northeast of Stoughton resulted in 200,000 litres of oil leaking onto First Nations land. As of Jan. 26, approximately 180 cubic metres of oil have been recovered from the site of the spill. Assessment and cleanup work will continue until the area is restored. Just short of 455 tonnes of soil have been removed from the site. Removal of the saturated soil in the area will continue after the line has been removed for inspection.
An updated released by the Ministry of the Economy has determined that a small hole has been discovered on top of the pipeline, after last week’s spill. The ministry has released information stating that the depth of cover at the break point is approximately 0.5 metres. The hole was situated on a weld connecting two segments of pipe.
The pipeline that was the source of the spill was a four-inch steel pipeline owned by Tundra Energy Marketing Ltd. (TEML) It’s approximately 2 kilometres long, and is a part of the larger south east Saskatchewan crude oil gathering system. The damaged part of the pipe was sealed, and the remaining oil in the pipeline is in the process of being removed. The size of the hole will be determined when the line is fully cleaned, and the extent of the damage is confirmed.
The ministry was notified of the spill late on Jan. 20, and subsequently released a statement on Jan. 23 disclosing that the spill site is on a low-lying area, containing a frozen slough. The statement also reported the spill is fully contained, and not entering any creeks or streams in the area. The pipeline was shut down once the breach was discovered.
A number of consultants are onsite, investigating the environmental impact of the spill. Air quality, and wildlife in the area have not been affected by the spill. Cleanup efforts began on Jan. 21, and entailed removal of surface oil with vacuum trucks, and an ongoing effort to identify the source of the breach.
The petroleum and natural gas division of the Ministry of the Economy is responsible for the cleanup, and investigation of the spill’s cause, and Acuren Engineering is responsible for removing and testing the damaged section of pipe.
The ministry reported that there is no evidence, from an initial visual inspection of the pipe, that the cause of the break was a ground disturbance.
There have been no recorded prior incidents involving the pipeline since the database relating to it was created, in 1991.
The pipeline was licensed in 2014, and records are not kept on unlicensed pipelines. It was not licensed, because at the time of its construction, short pipelines under 15 kilometres were exempt from licensing, under provincial law.
The ministry stated that members of the Ocean Man First Nation will be kept apprised of the situation, and the information collected during Acuren’s investigation. TEML is required to file two reports on the incident: an initial report within the next few days providing an assessment of the volumes of oil released, and a detailed incident report within 90 days of providing an assessment of cause of the incident.
The provincial investigation of the incident is already underway, and will take questions into account including; the regulator requirements of the inspection and maintenance programs; why the leak wasn’t detected by the operator, prior to discovery; and the age of the pipeline, and how that could have contributed to its failure and the effectiveness of the emergency response plan.
