Clean-up at the site of a diesel spill has been ongoing since an accident involving a tractor trailer unit carrying diesel and an SUV occurred Jan. 5, three kilometres north of LaCorey, and resulted in the trailer spilling portions of its load into the ditch area on the west side of Highway 41.
Westcan Group of Companies, the company operating the tractor trailer unit, responded immediately to scene of the accident and engaged in an initial cleanup, according to Pardee Badyal, the company's public relations co-ordinator.
Westcan would not agree to a phone interview with the Nouvelle, but instead offered responses to prepared questions through email.
The ongoing cleanup along the ditch area has caused a disruption in traffic flow on Highway 41, as the road has been reduced to one lane with a reduced speed limit at times.
Residents living in the area are not too concerned about the traffic disruptions, but would like to know what is being cleaned up and if the job is being done correctly.
“I'm more concerned that these type of things should not be covered up, we should know when there are accidents like this.
The company is maybe doing a fantastic job of cleaning up and I think that should be noted as well,” explained area resident Gale Strong.
According to Badyal, the initial cleanup “was hampered by the large amount of snow in the ditch as well as the weather.” The company also had to deal with a fibre optic cable buried in the ditch.
Due to the issues during the initial cleanup, “the (diesel) migrated into the soil,” which has led to the need for continuing cleanup and excavation, in order to “get as much of the product as possible,” explained Badyal.
Though the environmental remediation has been ongoing for more than 25 days, Westcan expects the entire cleanup to be completed within the week.
Badyal explained, “It is not unusual for a cleanup of this size to take this long.”
The Westcan representative assured those concerned that “there is no danger to the public from the product release,” and “properly cleaned up, there should be no environmental hazards.”
Badyal said Westcan has an emergency response plan for scenarios such as this. “First we look after any and all injuries, second we secure the scene to ensure there are no further incidents as a result of the initial accident, and third we try to limit the damage to the environment.”
She also said residents near the site of the accident have been contacted by the contractor currently carrying out the continuing cleanup.
