PICKLE LAKE – The Nord Road north of Pickle Lake has reopened after being closed due to a diesel spill last weekend.
On December 23, two tractor-trailer units collided on Nord Road. One of the semi-trailers was hauling diesel fuel to Musselwhite Mine. The damage to the semi-trailer caused the fuel to spill over the highway. Highway 599 was closed from Nord Road to North Caribou Lake First Nation due to poor weather and road conditions.
On Dec 27, MPP for Kiiwetinoong Sol Mamakwa provided an update on his social media accounts.
Mamakwa said that North Caribou Lake First Nation leadership informed him that the hazmat crews have arrived and clean-up efforts had started. Crews will transfer the remainder of the fuel before towing the semi-truck.
According to Mamakwa, approximately 10,000 litres of diesel fuel has spilled.
As for why it took four days for crews to clear the semi-trucks off the road and begin cleaning the spill, Mamakwa writes, “the remote location and winter conditions are a challenge, but efforts are underway as best as practicable to respond to this spill event.”
Pickle Lake Mayor James Dazell confirmed that the road is clear and that the fuel spill has been cleaned. There are no concerns about the environmental impact.
The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Park confirmed that one of the truck’s five compartments ruptured and 6,300 litres of diesel spilt onto the highway. Paul Hauling's, the company responsible for the semi-trunk, hired the environmental firm GFL to clean the site, during which clean-up was completed on Dec 27 and the highway was reopened shortly after. The Ministry stated that "no ditches or waterways were impacted."
Ministry staff attended the spill location to ensure cleanup efforts were underway. Local ministry staff have reported through documentation from Paul Hauling that the clean-up was done; however, a complete inspection will be done by Ministry staff as soon as possible.
This story has been updated to reflect new information.
