Iqaluit (Jun 12/06) - A thick coat of black sludge lined an Iqaluit embankment and waterway last month.

The territorial Department of Environment and the City of Iqaluit are trying to piece together who is to blame for dumping close to 170 litres of waste oil in Carney Creek between May 19-22.

A back-hoe removes oil-laced soil from Carney Creek. Approximately two drums of oil were dumped by a culprit -- identity unknown as of last week -- sometime between May 19-22. - photo courtesy of City of Iqaluit

The full extent of environmental damage is not yet known - soil samples sent to Queens University in Ontario should be analyzed by mid-month. Some of the oil mixed with the water, but most was absorbed by sand on the road embankment, said Robert Eno, manager of Pollution Control for the Department of Environment.

The polluted soil was taken to a land farm owned by a contractor in Iqaluit.

Waste oil is a highly-toxic substance that can contaminate water and endanger the health of humans, fish and wildlife, according to the department.

The municipality has a couple of leads on who may be responsible, but Mark Hall, director of public works, wouldn't elaborate last week.

He did say that evidence from the area indicates that the oil was emptied from two 45-50 gallon drums. Both levels of government are hoping members of the public can provide further information.

The offender(s), if caught, would face a maximum fine of $300,000 under environmental legislation and up to six months in jail.

In addition, the city could impose a $1,000 bylaw violation per responsible individual or $10,000 per business.

Municipal council could also take civil action to recover clean-up costs, which amounted to almost $10,000 as of last week, Hall added.

If nobody is caught, it's taxpayers who will bear the costs.

Contract and city workers spent almost a week cleaning up the site after the incident was reported by a citizen on May 23.

Carney Creek runs from the North 40 dump, through town and into an inlet. Juvenile Arctic char have been found in that stream, said Tania Gordanier, habitat management biologist for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

But federally, it's Environment Canada that has jurisdiction over what is considered primarily a land-based spill. That agency currently has no officer in Iqaluit, however, and won't have a presence here until a candidate has completed training next month, according to Craig Broome, manager of enforcement for NWT and Nunavut in Yellowknife.

Therefore, the territorial Department of Environment has taken the lead on the investigation.

Recommended disposal of waste oil in Iqaluit involves paying to send it away. The city stores its stockpiles in 45 gallon drums, which are shipped to Northern Quebec as part of annual sealift.

The municipality discourages burning of any kind including waste oil, Hall noted.