Environmental Emergency Management Program

Pine River Oil Spill

Click to view full-size imageLocation

Incident occurred on the Pine River, about 110 km upstream of the community of Chetwynd. The Pine River flows into the Peace River.

Time and Date of Incident

August 1, 2000 – 01:20 hours

Product/Quantity Spilled 1

Light crude oil – approximately 985 cubic meters (6200 barrels)

Cause of Spill

A pipeline transporting oil from Taylor to Kamloops ruptured.

Environmental Setting and Impacts

The environmental impact included mortality to fish, insects and some wildlife. The river water supply to the District of Chetwynd was shut off and the use of many groundwater wells near the river was discontinued.

Response Participants:

Responsible Party 2

  • Pembina Pipeline Corporation

Lead Agencies 3

  • Provincial: Ministry of Environment, Oil and Gas Commission
  • First Nations: Saulteau First Nations

Primary Participating Contractors and other Agencies

  • Alpine Environmental Ltd.
  • Provincial Emergency Program (PEP)
  • District of Chetwynd
  • Environment Canada

Response Summary/Closure

The spill response was managed by Pembina Pipeline Corporation. This spill was one of the most expensive inland pipeline oil spill in Canadian history. The company has spent over $30,000,000 and the local government and provincial agencies were also heavily impacted. The product recovery rate was high: 450 m3 removed from the river, 415 m3 removed in contaminated soil and about 80 m3 spread throughout the environment.

News Releases and Information Bulletins

Footnotes

1. Conversions

1 barrel = 42 US gallons = O.16 cubic metres
1 cubic meter = 6.29 barrels = 264 US gallons = 1,000 litres
1 tonne = 7 barrels
1 nautical miles = 1.85 kilometers
Note: volume and mass relationships vary with density of product.

2. Responsible Party  

Responsible Party (RP) refers an agency or company taking responsibility for impact mitigation (e.g. cleanup, response management) as a possible consequence of their actions or that of a third party. Generally referred to as either the spiller or polluter.

3. Lead Agencies

Agencies that have jurisdictional (federal, provincial, local governments, and First Nations) or functional (Fire, Police, Ambulance) command roles in managing the incident. The designation of the lead agency may be based on legislation, an interagency agreement, a Cabinet decision and/or custom or precedent. There can be more than one lead agency represented under a unified command, as well as the Responsible Party.