Pipeline company reports oil spill near Red Deer River; crews working to contain
Posted June 8, 2012 9:58 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
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 (475,000 litres) 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.
At a news conference at the Dixon Dam, Alberta Premier Alison Redford says crews are working to get a handle on the spill, and she wants to assure residents living along the river and by Gleniffer Lake that all necessary resources are being deployed to contain the leak and clean it up.
She says her government’s first priority is minimizing the impact of the spill and ensuring the health of Albertans, and Alberta’s pipeline system is supported by a strong regulatory framework that serves as a model for other jurisdictions.
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.
