Pipeline repaired, cause of spill unknown

by The Associated Press

A pipeline that burst and spilled as much as 6,300 barrels of oil into a northeast British Columbia river last week has been repaired but remains shut down.

Brian Clark of the Provincial Emergency Program said Aug. 8 that Pembina Pipeline Corp. has replaced the section of pipe that broke Aug. 1, and the Oil and Gas Commission is conducting tests to assure the line is safe.

A 50-foot section of pipeline where the break occurred has been removed and sent to Edmonton, Alberta, for analysis. Cause of the break remains unknown.

The commission last inspected the pipeline in December and found that it met Canadian Standards Association requirements.

Crews have been working around the clock to remove and recover the oil, most of which was contained behind two booms on the Pine River upstream from this town about 560 miles north of Vancouver.

The intake for the water system serving about 4,000 residents in and around Chetwynd was shut down after lighter oil escaped the booms. Water in a reservoir should be adequate for as long as six weeks, local officials have said.

The oily sheen is dissipating as it moves downstream and is not expected to affect other communities, officials said.

Massive fish kills were reported along the river, and other environmental damage is being assessed.