An investigation is ongoing at four of CNRL's Primrose sites with bitumen emulsion still seeping to the surface at a combined rate of less than 20 barrels a day.
It's been over 11 weeks since the fourth CNRL site was reported to the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) with over 1.3 million litres (8,230 barrels) of spilled bitumen emulsion collected from the location. Workers have also removed 397 cubic meters of oily vegetation and over 11 million pounds (5,096 metric tones) of impacted soil from the 20.7 hectares of impacted land.
Information about the seeping bitumen is available and being updated on the Incident Reporting section of the AER website as part of the ongoing investigation.
As of August 16, 2013 a total of 146 animals (two beavers, 31 birds, 31 small mammals and 82 amphibians) have been confirmed dead as a result of the spill.
According to the AER, bitumen recovery at the source along with skimming of areas within the unnamed water body and vegetation cutting continues at the one Primrose site.
CNRL is working alongside both the AER and Alberta ESRD to investigate the situation.
“The efforts of over 200 employees and contractors on site will continue to reduce the impacts of these bitumen emulsion seepages until the locations are fully remediated,” wrote Zoe Addington, CRNL Public Affairs spokesperson, in an email to the Nouvelle. “Canadian Natural believes the cause of the bitumen emulsion seepage is mechanical failures of wellbores in the vicinity of the impacted locations. We are in the process of identifying and investigating these old wellbores.”
