It happens. Despite being prepared, safe and vigilant, oil spills can happen. But, the spill that occurred in St. Paul last week was maybe a little more odd and in the end, unnerving than other small spills that occur in the industry.
A few days after the spill, RCMP confirmed that it was an act of vandalism that resulted in crude bitumen spilling from a truck in a parking lot in St. Paul, and along the highway leading to Elk Point.
The spill required the efforts of emergency services like the volunteer fire department and RCMP, along with resources from local oil companies to cleanup the mess left by the suspected vandal. It’s obvious that the people responding to the call likely could have been busy doing other things on Tuesday, but instead had to spend the day ensuring the bitumen, which had leaked into the town’s storm water system, didn’t cause any unnecessary damage.
RCMP now must investigate the suspected act of vandalism, taking up even more time and resources.
Despite the fact that the spill occurred in the middle of the night, the response to the incident appears to have been speedy and efficient. Companies with the necessary trucks responded to the call, and were busy cleaning out the sewer system throughout the day Tuesday, with work being complete that same day.
Western Canadian Spill Services is a co-op that offers oil companies the resources and training to deal with spills. The group isn’t shy to admit that spills are inevitable, but ensuring companies know how to respond to those spills is crucial.
Last week’s incident offered a good example of how different companies and emergency crews can work together to contain a strange situation that truly appeared overnight.
