Contamination found at construction site
City hopes to recover clean-up costs of suspected heating oil spill on Con Road found last year
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The city plans to recoup the cost of cleaning up a suspected heating fuel spill along Con Road, discovered in August during construction work.
Construction continues along Con Road in August last year. Soil contaminated with what's believed to be heating fuel oil was discovered the following month adjacent to a private property. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
City contractors were replacing water and sewer lines under Con Road between 54 Street and Rycon Drive when the smell of fuel was noted adjacent to private property.
"They came across the smell of diesel as they were removing the asphalt and realized there was some soil contamination in that area," Dennis Kefalas, the city's director of engineering and public works, said Monday.
The city contacted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to notify it of the spill and determine its extent. A spill report was filed Aug. 25, according to a summary of spills on the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board records registry.
Kefalas estimated the spill was about 10 to 15 metres in length, with two to three metres on city land.
Because it was so late in the construction season, clean-up work will continue this year before the street is paved.
The city believes the spill originated on private property since it doesn't have heating fuel tanks in the area.
"We have our suspicions," Kefalas said of the source of the spill. It's unclear when it may have occurred.
He described the location as near Diamond Ridge Condo Corporation, which are townhomes near the intersection with 55 Street. The condo corporation was unable to comment before press time.
If the city finds the leak came from a private property, the city would contact their insurance company and file a claim for the work to clean up the city's property, Kefalas said.
Senior administrative officer Sheila Bassi-Kellett told councillors about how this would happen during Monday's municipal services committee meeting.
"We will work with the homeowner to address this on our lands and work with them to guide them under the terms of the Environmental Protection Act to make sure they're able to clean up what they need to under their responsibility," she said.
Kefalas didn't have an estimate of the clean-up cost available.
The soil can be remediated by removing it from the site, taking it to a private company that places it on a treatment pad where it is turned over or air is forced through it. Kefalas said the process could be completed by the end of the summer.
Kefalas said it's not common to come across such spills, adding it's the second during his 15 years with the city found during water and sewer work.
