Challenge
A mid-sized oil and gas producer experienced a pipeline break and contacted Earthmaster at 7:00 a.m. after they had shut-in the pipeline. Earthmaster was able to respond quickly due to the strategic availability of qualified consultants situated across a large geographic area. Our consultant arrived on-site at 9:00 a.m. that same morning, before most of the client’s field operational staff were aware of the spill. The consultant observed a vast quantity of produced water and hydrocarbons pooling in a low lying area within a farmer’s field.

Solution
Working with qualified contractors, Earthmaster quickly contained the spill to one area and began fluid recovery. Over 600 m³ of produced water and hydrocarbons were ultimately recovered. During the assessment phase the following day, an electromagnetic (EM) survey was conducted along with surface water and soil sampling. A total of 4,200 tonnes of contaminated soil was identified and removed from the area to eliminate and halt plume migration. Throughout the operation, Earthmaster frequently communicated with a concerned landowner to keep him informed of the process and activities that were taking place.

Outcome
The time frame of the project, from day of release to the day the site was confirmed clean and rehabilitated and returned to the landowner, was exactly five weeks. The client and landowner were extremely satisfied with the spill response work and final outcome as the Earthmaster consultant identified a win-win opportunity. He recognized that the low lying region, from where the contaminated soil had been removed, could become a viable run-off water holding area and source for the landowner’s mixed farming operation. With approval from the landowner and client, Earthmaster re-contoured the general area for that purpose and at the same time brought previously non-arable land to a productive state. As a result, $25,000 were saved that otherwise would have been spent to backfill and re-contour the disturbed area to its original state.

For more information on our Spill Response services contact
Adam Dunn at adam.dunn@earthmaster.ca or 403-201-5111 (ext. 226)