Oil site cleanup to cost millions

Oil site cleanup to cost millions by Paul Cowley, October 5, 2007, Red Deer Advocate
Cleanup work is almost complete at an oil battery site after a summer lightning strike destroyed a storage tank and caused an oil spill southwest of Spruce View. The cost of cleaning up the site and getting it back in running order is expected to top $2 million. Lightning hit the four-tank battery site just before midnight on June 29, igniting a fire that took a number of hours to put out. All operations where shut down at the site, about 15 km from Spruce View. Ron Bobyn, business and operations manager for Calgary-based Sogar Resources Ltd., said the 1,000-barrel tank struck by lightning was completely destroyed. The lid was blown off and landed about 100 feet away. Another tank was badly damaged. On July 12, it was discovered that the damage also extended to an underground connecting pipe, which was leaking. The company immediately undertook remediation efforts. It was a very small spill, he said. The landowner was notified and has been kept informed of progress.
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The company has drilled test wells to ensure that water sources in the area have not been affected. Results are not yet available. Sogar also plans to test well water at nearby residences.
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Alberta Energy and Utilities Board spokesman Davis Sheremata said the incident was reported to the board. Alberta Environment is now overseeing the file because it involved a spill below the surface. [Emphasis added]