IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY - A pinhole-sized leak in a heating oil tank at Cambridge Bay's community hall created a spill of more than 1,000 litres of oil earlier this month, said the territory's chief environmental protection officer.

Robert Eno said hamlet staff reported a leak at the bottom of the heating oil tank at the community hall on June 1, noticing 1,000 to 1,600 litres of standard heating oil had leaked onto the ground.

The environmental protection officer directed cleanup operations, he added.

"We won't really know what the extent of the damage is until all the snow is gone and the ground thaws out. But the damage is likely to be minimal," he said.

The hamlet pumped out the tank, which had a capacity of roughly 4,500 litres, and replaced it with a new one, said Eno.

He added corrosion is a common problem as variations in temperatures cause condensation inside the tanks.

As water is heavier than oil, it collects at the bottom of tanks and micro-organisms in the water can cause corrosion, said Eno.

"In steel tanks, corrosion has been a problem for a long, long time," he said.

"It seems like the problem has been worse in the last 10 years. There is a suspicion it may have something to do with the fact that we phased out the old style of diesel fuel and are now moved into low-sulfur diesel fuel."

Cambridge Bay Mayor Syd Glawson said the tank had been replaced and the oil cleaned up.

"It was handled according to regulations," he said.

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