Hydro-Québec diesel spill a bad one, Nunavik villagers say

You can see the berms laid out to catch diesel flowing from the Hydro-Québec power plant in Ivujivik in this submitted photo from Aug. 4. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

A yellow tape in front of the power plant in Ivujivik now prevents residents from going near the building where the diesel spill took place. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

People in the Nunavik northern village of Ivujivik say this past weekend’s diesel spill at their power plant was much worse than Hydro-Québec first let on.

Quebec’s power corporation said Aug. 3 that a spill of about 10,000 litres took place late Aug. 1 and into the morning of Aug. 2 at the generating station that supplies power to the Hudson Strait community of Ivujivik.

The power corporation told Nunatsiaq News late Aug. 4 that 14,200 litres of diesel had actually spilled.

Sources in Ivujivik, population 370, have told Nunatsiaq News that they heard 8,000 litres of diesel flowed down a creek from the power plant to the bay below.

On the community radio network, hunters said they could smell oil in the bay, which is known for its rich marine life and seabird colonies.

“They’re afraid and worried about fishing,” said a resident, who did not want to be named in this story.

Many in Ivujivik remember how elders did not want the power plant to be built on the hill in case there was just this kind of accident — and now it’s happened, the resident said.

But Hydro-Québec said “no trace of diesel has been found in Ivujivik Bay” below the power plant, and that “a small trace of fuel was detected in a drainage ditch near the power plant and the oil has been recovered.”

The spill, said power corporation spokesperson Christian Garneau, came from within the power plant.

Using specialized equipment, such as absorbent socks, employees are continuing to contain the diesel inside and outside of the plant, he said.

And oil recovery basins are in place to collect contaminated water so that it can be filtered.

“Over the next few hours, we will receive strategic materials such as pumps and charcoal filters so that we can do even more on site work,” Garneau told Nunatsiaq News.

He said the spill was “exceptional and accidental.”

“It occurred accidentally despite the strict equipment monitoring and maintenance plans in place,” he said. “Since we are in the process of investigating and carrying out internal verifications, it is too early to comment on the scope of the event.”

But some in Ivujivik continue to dispute Hydro-Québec’s assertion that they have received enough information about what really happened and the damage thats been caused.

That’s despite an Inuktitut-speaking Hydro-Québec employee who is on site.

They also say Hydro-Québec’s initial statement in an Aug. 3 news release that the power was maintained to the community is not accurate.

The power went off overnight from Aug. 1 to Aug. 2. As a result, the internet didn’t work in the community for two days.

Hydro-Québec later said the power did go off from 10 a.m. Aug. 1 to 3 a.m. Aug. 2.

In any event, there will be no criminal investigation of the spill, the Kativik Regional Government said Aug. 4.

But oil spills are common in Nunavik’s communities — these happen almost every day, the KRG’s department of renewable resources, environment, land and parks told regional council meetings earlier this year.

Most often, the spills are caused by mishandling of equipment during refueling or installation, or collisions between a vehicle and reservoir.

According to the KRG, Hydro-Québec reported two spills in the Nunavik region in 2014.

Most of the reported spills in the region took place during mining companies’ exploration work, although the KRG said many spills do not get reported.

But, whoever owns the facility where fuel is stored is responsible for cleaning up the spill and reporting any spill of 500 millilitres or more to regional and provincial officials, the department told council meetings last May.

In the case of an oil spill, the leak must first be contained — most often with a rubber berm — before the area is decontaminated.

That’s when the fuel is removed, along with the absorbent or other contaminated material like snow, water or soil, to be stored and brought to an authorized disposal site.

Nunavik’s northern village employees received spill management training last in 2011, with another round of training planned for this fall.

(With files from Jane George and Sarah Rogers)