Trilogy oil emulsion spill in Alberta reaches size of four football fields by Elizabeth McSheffrey & The Canadian Press, October 12th 2016, National Observer
Trilogy Energy says the pipeline leak it discovered late last week in north central Alberta has covered an area about three hectares in size with oil emulsion — a damage zone equivalent to roughly four football fields.
In an update posted to its website late Tuesday, the Calgary−based oil and gas producer says it still doesn’t know the volume of the Oct. 6 spill into a marshland about 15 kilometres from Fox Creek, a small town of nearly 2,000 people located northwest of Edmonton.
According to the statement, company president John Williams and other managers travelled to the remote scene Tuesday to meet with the cleanup team and assess the extent of the spill. The pipeline has been shut down and purged, and the source of the leak has been maintained.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the leak remains under investigation.
Staff on site at the spill include environmental and wildlife specialists working with representatives of the Alberta Energy Regulator, which last week, said the oil emulsion that leaked is about 50 per cent water and 50 per cent oil. Sampling and monitoring, recovery, waste management, wildlife and water control plans await approval from the AER, said the update, which also indicated that recovery and disposal of contaminated material has already begun.
“Trilogy continues to collect water and soil samples and conduct wetland and other environmental assessments to fully determine any potential impact on water bodies,” said the statement.
“Trilogy has developed a diversion plan that will minimize the infiltration of surface water and prevent further disbursement of the spill. Trilogy also continues to monitor and deter wildlife from accessing the site.”
Trilogy is a Canadian energy corporation formed from Paramount Resources in April 2005. [Emphasis added]
Kaybob Area Incident Update by Trilogy, October 11, 2016
John Williams, Trilogy’s President, and other members of Trilogy’s management team
were at the incident site today meeting with the response team to fully assess the extent
of the spill and continue clean-up and response efforts.
The pipeline has been shut-in and purged, which has contained the source of the
leak.
Based on preliminary delineation, the size of the spill is currently estimated to
cover approximately three hectares of land. The volume of the spill has yet to be
determined.
The incident took place in a remote area and the response team now has access
to most of the impacted area.
Environmental specialists, wildlife experts and crews are on site assessing the
situation, working closely with the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). Sampling and
monitoring, recovery, waste management and wildlife and water control plans
have been developed and are pending AER approval.
Trilogy continues to collect water and soil samples and conduct wetland and
other environmental assessments to fully determine any potential impact on
water bodies.Trilogy has developed a diversion plan that will minimize the infiltration of surface water and prevent further disbursement of the spill. Trilogy also continues to monitor and deter wildlife from accessing the site. Recovery and disposal of contaminated material has commenced.
Updates will be provided on Trilogy’s website www.trilogyenergy.com
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