N.B. Energy and Utilities Board releases report on Saint John butane leak investigation

The New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) has released the results of its investigation into a January butane leak in east Saint John.

The board found the leak in the pipe came from a welded support. Extreme weather and the support design contributed to the failure, according to the board.

READ MORE: Saint John butane leak now stopped, officials say

The EUB’s report says the amount of butane leaked ranged from a minimum of almost 17,000 litres to a maximum of between 34,000 and 74,000. The report points out the leak likely started about four hours before being discovered and continued for another 13 hours after that.

It took a total of 28 hours before an action plan and necessary equipment were in place to deal with the situation.

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The incident led to dozens of homes being evacuated for several days, as a number of residents’ homes sit mere metres from the pipelines.

“When it did come down to it, they did a pretty good job looking after things when they found out,” said nearby resident Steve Follett. “I do believe there could have been better measures in place.”

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The EUB says a number of corrective actions need to be taken as a result of this event to prevent a similar incident from happening again. It points out some have already been completed by Irving Oil, including a 24/7 leak detection system covering a broader range of leaks.

The final corrective action plan is due July 1.

Irving Oil did not respond to Global’s request for an interview.