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PEHDZEH KI/WRIGLEY - The community of Norman Wells is taking precautionary measures to keep its water from being contaminated after an unspecified amount of diesel fuel leaked into the Mackenzie River north of Wrigley last week.

Mayor Peter Guther said the town's water reservoir is linked to the Mackenzie. He stressed that town officials were not too concerned about the possibility of contamination given the distance and amount of fuel leaked, but nevertheless took preventative steps.

"Just for a precaution we put some sponges in. It's a special type of sponge that will absorb the diesel just in case," said Guther.

The diesel leak occurred when a barge grounded on a shoal just north of Wrigley.

Between 4:30 and 5 a.m. on Tuesday one of three NTCL barges being moved by a Horizon North Logistics Inc. tug hit a shoal at Wrigley Rock at mile 360 on the river, said Bill Cardinal, a member of the management of Horizon North Logistics Inc.

The barge was loaded more than halfway with diesel fuel and was also carrying building supplies. While checking the barge after the incident, the crew discovered a hairline fracture, approximately two inches long, at the waterline, said Cardinal.

"There was a small leak that they contained," he said.

"It was a very small trickle."

When the diesel leak was discovered, the crew deployed containment booms and contacted the necessary authorities, Cardinal said. The first concern was to take care of the fuel leak, he said.

The crew moved fuel from the leaking compartment into another empty compartment on the same barge. By moving the fuel, the weight in the barge redistributed, stopping the leak by 11 a.m., said Cardinal.

The crew continued to remove the remaining fuel from the damaged compartment. The company was expecting to move the barge off the shoal later on Tuesday.

The accident occurred in an area of the river that is known for shoals, said Cardinal. He compared the shoal to a smooth rock like a cement slab. The company is pointing to fog and wind as the cause for the accident.

"They hit a fog bank just as they entered this area," said Cardinal.

Transport Canada will investigate the cause of the accident, said Larry Trigatti, superintendent of the Coast Guard's environmental response program.

The Coast Guard took the lead on the response and worked with Horizon North Logistics Inc. to limit the amount of diesel fuel released.

"They did the right things early on to keep this to a minimum," said Trigatti.

The exact amount of diesel fuel that leaked isn't known.

"They're reporting just a sheen in the immediate area," he said. "It's very, very thin."

The rainbow-coloured sheen means the fuel is spread paper-thin on the water, said Trigatti. In cases like this there's no way to recover the product.

Trigatti said diesel fuel evaporates and dissipates quickly once released into the environment -- about 60 per cent of a spill within 24 hours, he said. Water quality is being monitored.

"There doesn't seem to be any significant impacts in the area," said Trigatti.

Trigatti said it was unfortunate, however, that even a small amount of diesel fuel was released.

-with files from Brodie Thomas