The shores of Burrard Inlet were the subject of intense scrutiny by Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams (SCAT) July 27 after an oil pipeline was ruptured near Burnaby July 24 by a construction crew and an estimated 234 cubic metres, or approximately 1,400 barrels of crude oil, was released in a huge geyser. Fortunately, much of the crude oil, from a pipeline owned by Kinder Morgan, was contained before it ran downhill to the shoreline but some of the oil made it into the water. The top three photographs show Environment Minister Barry Penner on the beach (wearing black vest and red helmet) discussing cleanup efforts with members of a SCAT crew. Weather conditions that featured warm temperatures helped evaporate the more volatile parts of the oil. In the photos at bottom, crews employed containment booms on the water to prevent more of the oil from reaching the beaches. Overflights were conducted to spot escaped oil and recovery vessels deployed to those areas to try and mop up some of the oil.