An oil spill has been reported on the Onion Lake First Nation.
On August 26, a well operated by BlackPearl Resources released oil and fresh water within its Onion Lake Heavy Oil Project. A statement issued by the Ministry of Energy and Resources said, “no bodies of water have been affected by the release, and there are no injuries.”
BlackPearl noted in an email that spill response procedures were followed and all regulatory bodies and landowners were informed of the spill immediately.
Vice President of Operations for the oil company Chris Hogue said, “clean up of oil stained soil and vegetation is complete and was disposed of at a third party waste handling facility.”
He adds the cause of the spill was “due to improper procedures” and now the company’s operational procedures have been updated to prevent the spill from happening again.
Updated with more information from BlackPearl Resources.