Doug MacKnight, assistant deputy minister in the Ministry of the Economy, which regulates pipelines in Saskatchewan told Reuters on Monday the ministry was notified of the spill late Friday afternoon, and 170,000 liters had already been recovered.
A spokesperson from the Premier’s office told CBC News the pipeline was immediately shut down as soon as the breach was detected. The spill covered a 20-meter radius on agricultural land but did not enter any water sources. The spill site is being described as a “low-lying area with a frozen slough.”
MacKnight also said that as there are several pipelines in the area where the leak occurred, and until the site is dug up on Wednesday, it is uncertain which pipeline company is responsible for the breach. Tundra Energy Marketing issued a statement on Monday confirming the oil spill, but they added that their pipeline has yet to be confirmed as being responsible for the leak.
Tundra does say: “As TEML owns a pipeline adjacent to the release, it has taken the lead in cleaning up the released oil.” The statement went on to say: “As the spilled oil was being recovered over the weekend, it was estimated that 200 cubic meters (52,834 gallons) of oil had been released.
Hydrocarbons-Technology.com reports that Tundra is a privately held unit of the Canadian-based grain trading and energy group, James Richardson and Sons, with headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
