One week after a natural gas pipeline leaked, partly into a tributary of the Beaverlodge River in northwestern Alberta, “clean-up activities are well advanced,” according to Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.
On its website, the Alberta Energy Regulator says the pipeline was shut in and depressurized after the “release of sour natural gas and condensate to a waterbody due to an issue on a pipeline.”
The AER added that an environmental consultant is involved in cleanup and monitoring efforts and that AER staff are on site as well.
The AER said there have been no reported impacts from the leak on wildlife and the emergency phase of the incident was declared over on Aug. 16.
CNRL told Global News it responded to the pipeline release on Aug. 13, “which included a small volume of light condensate at our operations south of Hythe, Alta.”
In an email sent to to Global News on Aug. 21, the AER said it was told informed of the leak at 8:23 a.m. on Aug. 13 and that CNRL “indicated that they discovered the leak at 6:30 a.m. that same day, and responded with control and containment efforts immediately.”
According to the regulator, about three cubic metres of condensate and 4,000 cubic metres of sour natural gas was released into the tributary.
“The initial incident response included deployment of booms in an unnamed tributary that flows into the Beaverlodge River and the impact of the release is limited to the tributary,” CNRL said. “The Beaverlodge and Redwillow rivers were not impacted.
“Canadian Natural’s analytical data from samples taken on Aug. 13 and in daily samples to date, shows no detection of hydrocarbon in the Beaverlodge River, and the water is within acceptable water quality limits and standards for protection of aquatic life,” the company added.
“This data has been reviewed by the regulator and its conclusions validated.”
In its Aug. 21 email to Global News, the AER said “environmental consultants conducted water and soil sample testing which found contamination in the tributary.”
The regulator noted that neither the Beaverlodge River nor the Redwillow River showed signs of contamination after water samples were tested.
According to the AER, the pipeline release occurred about four kilometres south of Hythe.
Hythe is located about 60 km northwest of Grande Prairie.
WATCH BELOW: (From Aug. 19, 2019) The Alberta Energy Regulator is investigating a pipeline spill south of Drayton Valley. The oil emulsion entered a tributary of the North Saskatchewan River.
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