By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Daily Gleaner
Critics are raising more questions about a massive diesel spill from a gas station in western New Brunswick that nearby homeowners worry could contaminate their well water.
New Brunswick’s environment minister, Gilles LePage, has been quick to tell people that the pollution from the Murray’s Irving Truck Stop in Woodstock hasn’t migrated over the last six months to any residential wells or a nearby wetland, but that hasn’t stopped a flood of criticism.
Green opposition MLA Megan Mitton pointed out in question period last week that a month ago, on April 10, she asked the minister in the House when the last time provincial inspectors visited the gas station on Beardsley Road before the leak.
“Residents are still waiting for answers,” Mitton said. “They are worried about their drinking water from nearby wells, especially considering that the leak could be a long-term concern. Diesel can stay in the soil for a long time before contaminating groundwater.”
LePage admitted he didn’t know the answer.
“Our inspectors conduct several tests and analyses each year. We’re talking about several hundred annual inspections. Unfortunately, our computer system doesn’t allow us to easily find the data, so we have to dig through the files.”
He said that as soon as his department has an answer, it will be forwarded to Mitton. He also said it would be included in a report on the spill, which will be tabled in the House in the coming weeks.
After people complained about the funny taste of water at a neighbouring Tim Hortons, samples were sent to a government lab. They showed the presence of fuel in untreated water on Dec. 12.
An inspection soon discovered an underground leak from a storage tank that had gone undetected, despite a requirement that gas stations be equipped with warning alarms and careful daily auditing of fuel levels.
A massive cleanup, paid for by Irving Oil, has taken place ever since, encompassing a large area that extends several yards to the edge of the TransCanada Highway, where excavators have been digging out contaminated soil.
As of last month, they had found 175,000 litres of spilled diesel. That’s enough to fill two large backyard swimming pools.
The Tim Hortons remains closed while the truck stop is open.
Mitton was incredulous that the minister couldn’t say when the station had last been inspected.
“It’s very concerning that the department can’t find that answer after a month of looking for it. I’m really concerned about that. I think New Brunswickers are losing trust in the Department of Environment’s ability to perform inspections, enforce regulations, and even find the answer to the question about when the last inspection happened.”
Last month, LePage said in the legislature that his department had inspected 369 of the province’s 440 gas stations over the past four years.
He then asked his inspectors to do a careful examination of 30 gas stations from across the province. Earlier this week, LePage disclosed that half of those stations had violated the rules. Five tickets totalling $6,022.50 were handed out.
“That’s not a passing grade,” Mitton said of the 15 that were found in violation of the rules. “It makes me very concerned about gas stations that have not been recently inspected.”
LePage underlined that the inspectors do more than just examine gas stations. Last year, they inspected 2,100 different sites, issued 135 warnings and handed out 20 tickets.
“This is an extremely time-consuming process,” the minister said. “If we had access to other resources to carry out the work, we would use them. This is why we are in the first phase of our gas station inspections. We are discovering what is missing from our process. We are looking to see what rules retailers are not complying with, precisely with the aim of strengthening the regulations mentioned by the member opposite.”
Mitton told reporters afterward she feared the province had fallen down on the job and needed to completely overhaul its inspection system.
The area’s MLA, meanwhile, told Brunswick News he was disappointed the minister still hadn’t held a public meeting to address people’s concerns, something he had asked for two months ago.
“I am still waiting,” Progressive Conservative MLA Bill Hogan told Brunswick News. “People in the area have concerns and he should just hold a meeting to give them some reassurance. Otherwise, rumours will get out of hand.”
