SUNDRE, Alta. – Crews are hoping to contain oil from a pipeline spill in west-central Alberta at a dam upstream from the City of Red Deer.
Up to 3,000 barrels of crude oil have spilled from a Plains Midstream Canada pipeline into a tributary of the Red Deer River.
Bruce Beattie, reeve of Mountain View County, says local officials are concerned the spilled oil will be difficult to contain because the rain-swollen river is moving very fast.
The City of Red Deer has been told booms will be set up on the river near the Dickson dam and Gleniffer reservoir and there is no cause for concern.
The Energy Resources Conservation Board says the pipeline leak has been shut in.
Get daily National news
The spill comes as Plains Midstream continues to clean up the April 29, 2011, spill of 4.5 million litres of oil from another pipeline northeast of Peace River, Alberta.
Mike Hudema with Greenpeace says this spill is another sign of a bigger problem in our province.
“It’s extremely disturbing,” he
says. “The fact that this wasn’t noticed by the company, the fact that it’s a
rash of oil spills here in the province. It’s less than a month since the last
oil spill …so it definitely points to a much bigger problem here in the
province.”
“The government needs to do a complete independent
public review of pipeline safety in this province,” Hudema adds. “The fact that
this pipeline spill is directly into a waterway that is the drinking water
supply of thousands of Albertans warrants it.”
Video from Global 1:
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.