Fort Simpson (May 07/04) - An oil spill clean-up is going to cost at least $122,000, but the territorial government may foot the bill.

An estimated 3,000-5,000 litres of thick bunker C oil leaked from a bulk tank on to the soil near Antoine Drive and into a nearby drainage ditch over the April 24 weekend.

Bernice Swanson, Fort Simpson's senior administrative officer, said she has applied for extraordinary funding from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to cover the costs.

The price tag includes payment for several contractors, having sand dumped around the tank and having a permanent contaminants site built at the landfill for contaminated soil.

On Tuesday, Liza McPherson, MACA's regional superintendent for the Deh Cho, said that her department is looking into providing emergency funding, but "the final decision is with headquarters."

The total volume in the bulk tank was close to 35,000 litres. An environmental company from Fort St. John, B.C., was hired to steam out the remaining oil. The last of the product was expected to be removed from the tank by Wednesday, environmental protection officer Ken Lambert noted.

Fort Simpson Mayor Raymond Michaud said the huge tank will then be collapsed and deposited at the landfill. He noted that the tank was likely punctured when Village employees tried to move it on to skids in March, but they were unaware of its contents.

It's still unknown whether charges will result, primarily because of the ownership issue. The Village essentially inherited the territorial government's assets leftover from the steam plant, Lambert said.

Charges not likely

At Monday's Village Council meeting, Michaud told council, "It doesn't look as if there will be any charges laid."

Because the oil was contained to the drainage ditch and sand surrounding the bulk tank, there's now little risk of extensive environmental damage, according to Lambert.

With the return of ducks, geese and aquatic life to the snye, the oil did pose a potential hazard to wildlife, he said.

Even if flooding occurs during break-up, water levels would have to rise higher than last year to complicate matters, he noted.

The tar-like consistency of the oil, cool weather, effective absorbent pads and an outstanding clean-up effort over the weekend the spill was discovered were major factors in limiting the damage, said Lambert.

"It was an excellent response," he said.