Cleanup continues a month after Pond Inlet fuel spill

Cleanup work continues in Pond Inlet where last month a broken pipeline spilled 7,000 litres of diesel fuel that “most likely went into the ocean,” according to Heather Grant, policy analyst for Nunavut’s Community and Government Services Department.

Approximately 40 cubic metres of contaminated soil has been excavated from the site and will be disposed of at a southern facility, Grant said.

Between seven and eight cubic metres of boulders and rocks were moved to gain access to the contaminated soil underneath, Grant said in an email to Nunatsiaq News on Wednesday, adding soil samples will be sent for testing.

The spill was reported to the territory’s Petroleum Products Division on June 11, the department announced eight days later on June 19. The department advised people and their pets to avoid the community’s Petroleum Products Division shore manifold area.

On Wednesday, Grant said at this time “there is no indication of an immediate health risk to the hamlet of Pond Inlet.”

If any health risks are identified, the department will work with the Department of Environment to notify the public, she said.

Grant confirmed damage to a pipeline connection caused a rupture, leading to a leak of 7,000 litres of fuel.

“It is believed the damage was caused by the expansion and contraction of the [pipeline],” she said.

A cleanup plan was submitted to regulators on June 21.

It’s too soon to tell what the final cleanup cost will be, she said, because the work is ongoing.

“The remediation efforts have required the support of several consultants to develop and undertake the remediation plan, site cleanup and the work is ongoing,” she said.

Nunavut’s departments of Community and Government Services and of the Environment, the Petroleum Products Division, and the federal Environment Department are the organizations involved in the cleanup.

Also involved are Nunatta Environmental Services Inc., an Inuit-owned company based in Iqaluit, and Qikiqtaaluk Environmental Inc., an Indigenous-owned environmental services firm specializing in site assessment and cleanup, based in Quebec.

In addition to soil removal, crews drilled bore holes into the ice to check for trapped pockets of fuel under the ice; none were found, Grant said.

Absorbent booms and pads were installed along the shoreline and on the hill leading to it, to capture any remaining fuel and prevent more from moving down the hill.

Grant said soil samples will be analyzed, and based on the results the Department of Environment will determine if further cleanup work is required.

“Work is well underway and next steps will be determined based on the soil samples,” she said.

Nunatsiaq News contacted Environment and Climate Change Canada for comment on the spill and possible impacts to the ocean, however ECCC did not respond.