More than half of 91 NB gas stations fail inspections in province
More than half of the 91 gas stations inspected in the wake of a big diesel spill in the town of Woodstock last year were breaking the rules and cited for violations, says New Brunswick's environment minister.
In a news release, Gilles LePage said that, of the stations across the province inspectors had visited, they observed "non-compliances" at 47 sites.
He said those violations mainly consisted of unlicensed sites, failure to display owner and operator information, use of hold-open devices, unregistered tanks and improper storage-tank labelling.
"These findings prompted enforcement actions by the department, including the issuance of tickets and compliance plans," LePage said in the statement. "Additional inspections will continue."
The number of fines and the total penalties were not released. Brunswick News asked the department for this information but did not receive a response.
New Brunswick has about 440 gas stations, and on Friday the minister pledged to keep up inspections.
Last December's spill at the Irving Oil station beside Murray's truck stop and restaurant just off the TransCanada Highway in western New Brunswick caused great concern in the rural area, which includes a Tim Hortons franchise and several nearby residential properties with wells.
It's still a mystery how the leak happened, as neither the province nor the company has ever shed any light on the situation. The statement on Friday said the spill was still under investigation, 10 months after being reported. LePage said he was releasing the information as part of his commitment to transparency.
Local Progressive Conservative MLA Bill Hogan has excoriated the Liberal minister for refusing to hold a public meeting to calm people's fears.
In last week's update, LePage said petroleum systems at Beardsley Road were tested to ensure there were no other leaks prior to the retail outlet reopening to the public on Dec. 17. The total volume of the petroleum product recovered is estimated to be 189,000 litres.
He noted that Irving Oil, which is responsible for cleaning up the spill, continued to remediate the site.
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Those efforts, LePage said, include groundwater monitoring, both on and off-site, as well as the installation of an extraction system designed to remove diesel from below ground on the property. Remediation equipment will remain in operation and will be winterized so that it can operate as needed throughout the cold months.
He added that sampling results continue to show no contamination of nearby potable wells.
"Additional ecological assessment has been completed, and results of that assessment will be available shortly," the minister said. After 10 months of mop-up in the area, the nearby Tim Hortons has reopened, nearly a year after some customers reported tasting fuel in their coffee.
Cleanup work is ongoing in the wider area, where thousands of tonnes of contaminated soil have been hauled away for treatment.
In an email to Brunswick News earlier this month, Department of Environment spokesperson Vicky Lutes said remediation equipment "will remain in place as long as needed."
She said that as of mid-summer, 7,826 tonnes of soil, enough to fill more than two Olympic-sized swimming pools, had been excavated from ditches along Route 2 and Beardsley Road and shipped to an approved bio-remediation facility.
Lutes said the cleanup efforts wouldn't stop until the site met provincial standards under the Contaminated Sites regulation and demonstrate "no unacceptable risk to human health or the environment." "All excavation, transport and disposal procedures are overseen by a site professional who must follow all department requirements," the spokeswoman said.
There is no timeline for when that work will be finished, and the length of monitoring remains unknown.
Irving Oil is funding the cleanup and says it is co-operating with investigators.
"We continue to work collaboratively with all appropriate regulatory authorities," said corporate communications spokesperson Katherine d'Entremont.
Meanwhile, the Tim Hortons on Beardsley Road, which closed when the contamination was first discovered in December, reopened earlier this month, following an "extended period of due diligence to ensure guests would continue to receive the same quality and level of service that they expect," the company said in an email.
Despite reports of some customers saying they tasted fuel in their coffee, the restaurant says their safety was never in question.
"The health and safety of guests is our top priority and it's important to emphasize we were never alerted to any issues with the beverages and food served at the restaurant," Tim Hortons Media Relations said in an email, noting the restaurant's owners would not be speaking to the media.
The company said the "local Department of Health and third-party experts did not share any concerns about our ability to resume service," however they remained closed until it was "assured that service could continue in the longterm with the same high standards we uphold for all Tim Hortons restaurants."
The truck stop itself has remained open throughout the cleanup.
LePage said his department remained in communication with "key stakeholders" to keep them informed on the file.
"I appreciate the community's concerns and will provide ongoing updates on remediation activities and any significant findings that can be released from the investigation process," he said.
With files from Shana Grey
