City crews believe they have contained a fuel spill from Wednesday, but are keeping a protective boom in place on the Sturgeon River as a precaution.
The diesel fuel spill’s origin remains unknown, but it was first noticed Wednesday afternoon on Enderby Crescent and it appears to have entered the stormwater system, prompting fears it might have entered the Sturgeon.
Fire crews were first to respond to the spill and called public works and an outside hazardous material team to help clean up the mess.
Crews blocked off the storm sewers on the street in an effort to keep the fuel out of the river.
The spill stretched along 90 metres of road on Enderby. In addition to cleaning up the street, crews removed some of the grass.
Leah Jackson, manager of the city’s office of the environment, said they had done everything possible to try and keep the fuel out of the river.
“We have cleaned the stormwater catch basins that are directly downstream of where the catch basins were and we have placed a boom on the actual outfall in the river.”
She said they are cautiously optimistic that very little, if any fuel, made its way into the river, but there is no way to be 100 per cent sure.
“There was no definitive rainbow or the sheen that you would normally associate with a fuel spill, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t entered in small amounts over the last week or so.”
Jackson said municipal enforcement officers are trying to determine when and how the fuel was spilt, but she is not optimistic they will be able to identify the culprit.
“We are not sure when it was actually spilt. It could have been there right at the beginning of winter.”
Jackson said they are estimating the spill at somewhere between 10 and 50 litres, but again it would be difficult to know for certain.
“The thing with fuel is that even if you spill a litre it can really spread.”
Small amounts of fuel can still do horrendous damage, however, and she said no amount is a good amount. “It might not seem like a lot, but even a litre of fuel getting into the river can cause a lot of adverse effects.”
Vegetation and animals can be hurt by fuel in even small concentrations, which is why the city’s bylaw prohibits people from putting anything in storm sewers, she said.
Jackson said the boom would remain in the river for at least a week as a precaution.
“Our guys will likely check on it daily for about a week and if we don’t see anything at that time we can reassess.”
Anyone with any information on the spill can contact city bylaw officers at 780-458-7700.
