Leak sends 300,000 litres of oily water onto farmer’s field

Leak sends 300,000 litres of oily water onto farmer’s field by The Canadian Press, August 23, 2012, CBC News
The spill is mostly produced water — an industry term for the water which travels up well heads along with oil. It can contain high levels of salt. Penn West Spokesman Greg Moffatt said Thursday initial tests show the fluid is almost 99 per cent produced water with low levels of salt and about one per cent oil. … Darin Barter of Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board said he can’t confirm the size of the spill until the agency’s investigation is complete. But licencing documents show the line was carrying produced water containing three per cent oil. … The fluid covered about 6,000 square metres of land, Moffatt said, adding the farmer helped swath a path through the field for the clean-up crew. Vacuum trucks collected about a third of the estimated fluid on Wednesday, Moffat said. He expects the clean-up will continue for another two days before workers can uncover the line and investigate the cause of the leak.