Officials say work continues to contain a spill of helicopter jet fuel at a mountain ski lodge north of Nakusp.
The spill of 6,500 litres of jet fuel at CMH Galena lodge occurred in mid-January in a watershed that feeds into Trout Lake, and eventually Kootenay Lake.
“Right now we’re continuing to move forward with clean-up and remediation efforts,”says Tanya Otis, communication manager for Canadian Mountain Holidays Heli-skiing and Summer Adventures, based in Alberta.
“[E]nvironmental remediation and assessment experts are currently on site assessing the full impact of the leak,” she added in a written statement. “To date the fuel distribution system has been contained, we have identified an area for clean up and further assessment, and full remediation efforts are on their way.”
A spokesman for the provincial Environment department said an investigation has been launched into how and why the spill occurred, and officials continue to monitor clean-up efforts.
About two weeks after the spill, an email to Trout Lake residents detailed what was being done to recapture the toxic fuel.
“The majority of the fuel is contained in a sub-alpine bog. Jet-A fuel floats, so responders were able to use underflow dams to contain the product,” the email states. “An underflow dam allows the creek to keep flowing at the bottom, while catching product floating on top. Five sets of underflow dams have been established in the creek to prevent any further impact downstream.”
The Environment email indicates that some fuel has entered the water system from the bog, but says the last dam in the series “does not show any evidence of fuel at all.”
Daily water sampling is continuing, the department told residents.
Both CMH and Environment say the plan is to continue to remove contaminated material and dispose of it properly under government oversight.
Operations at the lodge, located in the Badshot range of the Selkirk Mountains, have not been affected.