A pipeline leak discovered Wednesday in Alberta has spilled 31,500 barrels of emulsion — petroleum mixed with sand and water — but has not contaminated any bodies of water, Canadian officials have confirmed.
"They are undertaking a fuller assessment of the site and will initiate an investigation, and working with the company to ensure safety and environmental requirements are met," said Peter Murchland, public affairs spokesman for the Alberta Energy Regulator,
according to Reuters.
He said it was too early to determine the cause of the leak, or for how long it went unnoticed, but added, "They've effectively stopped the source of the release, so that's good news."
The pipeline was being operated by Nexen Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of China's CNOOC Ltd, from its Long Lake oil sands facility in northern Alberta.
"Our emergency response plan has been activated and our response personnel are on-site," Nexen said in a written release on Thursday,
the Edmonton Journal reported. "The leak has been stabilized and the site is under control."
The spill is one of the largest to occur on land in North American history, even bigger than the 20,000-barrel crude oil spill that occurred in Michigan in 2010.
According to CTV News, Long Lake is roughly 20 miles southeast of Fort McMurray, and uses steam to heat underground oil sands, which then rise through the ground.
The news bureau reported that there have been no reports of harm to the public or wildlife, and that regulators will require Nexen to implement a wildlife protection plan along the pipeline route.
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