Alberta Environment has asked for the public’s help to find out how about 10 gallons of used oil got spilled into the Sturgeon River near Big Lake last week.
Sturgeon County officials issued a notice June 7 telling residents to stay off the Sturgeon River south of Meadowview Drive on RR 261A and to not use it as a water source after about 10 gallons (around 38 L) of used oil spilled into the river. The notice said anyone upstream of this location could still use water from the Sturgeon.
“Currently, it does not appear [that] any oil has entered Big Lake,” the notice read.
Alberta Environment crews were on site to clean up the spill, and had asked anyone with information on it to call them at 1-800-222-6514.
Sturgeon County and Alberta Environment spokespersons were unable to provide the Gazette with more details on the spill as of press time.
Eco-hazard
The spill happened at or near the Cunningham Bridge, which is on Meadowview Drive just west of the Sandpiper Golf and Country Club.
City of St. Albert environment manager Meghan Myers said in an email that city environment staff spotted the spill while doing water quality tests on the Sturgeon and reported it to Alberta Environment.
Zack Doroshenko lives near the spill site. His conversations with investigators suggest that the spill was reported on or about June 5.
“It just looks like a rainbow on the water,” he said of the spill.
Doroshenko said Alberta Environment appears to have contained the spill using absorbent booms. Low water levels around the bridge have also helped limit the oil’s spread. Investigators found two five-gallon buckets on site that may have been the source of the oil.
Doroshenko said the spill means his company (Rural River Rentals) can’t rent boats to people in this part of the river. He has also seen birds and other animals swimming in the contaminated water.
“Just seeing the ducks swim in the water yesterday and the past few days over the weekend [has been] kind of disheartening,” he said, speaking June 9.
A spill of this sort would likely violate the federal Fisheries Act, which prohibits the spilling of any deleterious substance into waters frequented by fish. It may also run afoul of the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, which governs hazardous substances and releases, and other laws.
In Alberta, used oil should be brought to depots such as the Mike Mitchell Recycling Depot in St. Albert or the Roseridge Landfill near Morinville for proper disposal.
Doroshenko emphasized that a spill like this had serious implications for the health of the Sturgeon and Big Lake. If not contained, these spilled pollutants could end up in crops, on golf courses, and on anyone paddling in the river.
“It doesn’t just go into the river. It goes everywhere.”
Anyone who has information about a spill that could damage the environment should call Alberta’s 24-hour environmental response line at 1-800-222-6514 and their local municipality.
