Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Kakisa (Jan 23/06) - A tanker truck spilled 12,000 litres of diesel fuel after it went off Highway 1 near Kakisa Jan. 14.

Two transport trucks and a police vehicle also became involved, but no one was injured.

The incident began when a northbound B-train jackknifed and the tankers turned on their sides about 700 metres north of the Kakisa River bridge. The accident punctured the front tanker, which spilled diesel fuel.

Fort Providence RCMP Cpl. Rob Harkin said the truck driver was forced off the road by an oncoming car which police are trying to locate.

A second accident happened when a southbound transport truck approaching the scene lost control and clipped another semi, causing the transport truck to also jackknife.

The truck started to slide toward a police SUV in which an officer was sitting, Harkin says. "We had to yell at him to get out."

The officer bailed out into a ditch and the transport truck slid to a halt on the police vehicle, breaking its tail light and rear passenger window.

Highway 1 was blocked for about 20 minutes, until the transport truck was removed.

Emery Paquin, director of environmental protection, says the Environment department is satisfied with the clean-up by the fuel truck's operator, RTL-Robinson Enterprises Ltd.

Contaminated fuel recovered from the ground was taken to a treatment site at the Hay River landfill.

Paquin says the clean-up included a burn of fuel that remained on the ground and removal of contaminated water.

"It is virtually impossible to get 100 per cent following a spill of this nature," Paquin says, adding there is no way of estimating how much fuel might remain in the ground. "We think it is minimal."

A follow-up site inspection will be conducted when the snow begins to melt in the spring.

Paquin notes the spill is not on a downward slope toward the Kakisa River, but is close to a creek. "The concern is when the snow starts melting that run-off not make it to the creek."