NNSL (JAN 03/97) - Residents of the NWT have reported more environmental waste spills in 1996 than in any other year.

Emery Paquin, director of the environmental protection service, said that there are more spills reported, but they are smaller in size.

"We're getting spills that wouldn't have been reported 10 years ago," he said. "The average volume of each spill is going down."

The steady increase in the number of spills reported over the years may be attributed to an increase in spills, but may also linked to a growing awareness to report and manage spills properly.

Paquin said that public awareness is improving, and more people are reporting spills on the 24-hour Spill Line.

"Private citizens that see something that they're concerned about are reporting spills," he said.

Since 1972 when the hotline was initiated, 3197 spills have been reported. Most of those incidents were fuel oil spills. Leaks from tanks, pipes and fittings and tank overfloes were the main causes.

Human error, resulting from lack of regular equipment inspections and staff training have caused most of these spills, according to the 1995 GNWT summary of hazardous waste spills.

Over the past five years, 670,000 litres of fuel oil have been spilled in the NWT.

While fuel oil is the most frequently spilled product, waste water accounts for the greatest volume of spills.

More than 14.5 million litres of waste water has been spilled by mines in Yellowknife since 1992.

Spills in the capital account for about 20 per cent of hazardous material leaks in the NWT every year. Almost half (48 per cent) of the spills occur in the Fort Smith Region.

The Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Management are responsible for clean-ups on highways and communities. The federal government (Department of Indian and Northern Affairs) is responsible for crown land.

Mike Lowing, deputy chief of the Yellowknife fire department, said they are involved in the clean-up of spills.