BC Hydro’s Environmental and Pollution Prevention team responded to spilled hydraulic fluid in the Copper Estates area east of Terrace on Dec. 3.
According to the provincial crown corporation, the incident occurred at approximately 10:20 a.m. Dec. 3 when a hydraulic hose failed on one of its line trucks, resulting in an estimated spill of 10 to 15 litres of hydraulic fluid.
“We immediately began our spill response procedure, which included shutdown of the truck, isolation of the failed line, containment of the spill area, followed by the excavation of the soil around the spill,” a BC Hydro media spokesperson stated in an email to the Terrace Standard.
“Following this, confirmatory soil samples were taken, which have been submitted for analysis to ensure all contaminated material has been recovered.”
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The Northern Health Authority also attended the scene to ensure the situation was addressed and resolved appropriately, taking an extremely precautionary approach and put out an advisory. Residents in the Copper Estates area were immediately notified to avoid using their water until testing proved safe to drink.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy says they received a report about the incident later that day and can confirm that none of the hydraulic fluid affected the water in the area.
“[The spill] was close to a well, however as it was well-constructed and the slope runs away from it, and there is no evidence of the spill entering any waterway,” says a ministry spokesperson “It looks like BC Hydro took appropriate measure to excavate the three by three area and they did their due diligence.”
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They add the soil samples, which were taken by BC Hydro to confirm that there is no hydraulic fluid remaining in the ground, are expected to return with results by the end of the week.
natalia@terracestandard.com
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