Fort Simpson (May 03/04) - An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 litres of oil leaked from a bulk tank along Antoine Drive in Fort Simpson over the April 24 weekend.

The spill was discovered Saturday night. A clean-up crew worked late into the night and throughout Sunday to contain most of the thick Bunker-C oil to a nearby drainage ditch.

The ruptured tank, which is considered to be the property of the Fort Simpson Village, but is resting on Commissioner's land, was still leaking as of Tuesday.

Sand has been spread around the oil tank, which still contains an estimated 27,000 litres of oil.

The Village has hired an environmental company from Fort St. John, B.C., to tackle the problem. As well, material has been ordered for a new lined cell at the Fort Simpson landfill site to deposit the hazardous waste.

Ken Lambert, environmental protection officer for the Deh Cho, said it's too soon to say whether charges will be laid.

Big year for spills

There were 184 hazardous waste spills reported in the Deh Cho in 2003, a huge jump from 30 reported the year before, according to the territorial government's environmental protection service.

The oil and gas industry, active in the Fort Liard area, accounted for 170 of the Deh Cho spills. Many were of a minor nature -- one to five litres -- because industry was very diligent in reporting spills, says Emery Paquin, director of the environmental protection service.

The largest Deh Cho spill, which occurred at Tungsten Mine on Jan. 18, involved 23,340 litres of fuel oil.

Over all, 672 spills were reported in the NWT, 150 more than in 2002. Seventy per cent of spills are less than 100 litres in volume.