Nova Scotia’s power utility has been fined $175,000 over an oil spill at Tufts Cove four years ago.
More than 24,000 litres of oil from a Nova Scotia Power generating station leaked into the Halifax Harbour in the summer of 2018.
The company said the leak, which was discovered on Aug. 2 of that year, was due to a small section of a pipe that was corroded.
Cleanup took more than four months.
In a news release Tuesday, Environment and Climate Change Canada said Nova Scotia Power pleaded guilty to one charge under the Fisheries Act last week in provincial court.
It said the utility was ordered to pay a fine of $175,000, which will go toward the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages fund.
Nova Scotia Power will also be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry, which contains information on corporations that have been convicted for offences committed under certain federal environmental laws.
‘Heavy’ spill harmful to fish
Environment and Climate Change Canada, which sent enforcement officers to investigate the spill at the time, said it found what appeared to be oil on the rocks and in the water adjacent to the power station.
“The officers collected samples for laboratory analysis, which concluded that the heavy oil spilled was deleterious to fish,” it said.
The federal department enforces the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act, which prohibits the deposit of deleterious — harmful or damaging — substances in water frequented by fish, unless the deposit of the substance is authorized by regulations.
In a statement, Nova Scotia Power spokesperson Jacqueline Foster said the company takes “full responsibility for this incident, which is reflected in the plea we entered.”
“The protection of the environment is a responsibility we take very seriously, and we work every day to minimize risk at all of our facilities across Nova Scotia,” she said.
Foster said Nova Scotia Power implemented a risk-based inspection program at Tufts Cove to mitigate future incidents, which “meets recommended standards related to inspections and maintenance of infrastructure carrying fuel.”
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