A picture of the oil spill area. Photo courtesy Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment.
There has been an oil pipeline spill on the Ocean Man First Nation.
It happened late Friday about 10 kilometres north of Stoughton.
The breach resulted in the release of about 200 cubic metres of crude oil in a low-lying area of agricultural land that contains a frozen slough.
The province says the spill is fully contained and the oil is not entering any creeks or streams.
Tundra Energy Marketing, which owns a pipeline in the area, is leading the cleanup efforts.
The government says the actual source of the leak will not be known until the site is excavated, which is expected to take place on Wednesday.
The province also says local air quality and wildlife have not been affected, but environmental consultants are on the scene to monitor the spill’s impact.
Cleanup work began Saturday and included the removal of surface oil with vacuum trucks and efforts to identify the source of the rupture. As of today, about 170 cubic metres has been recovered.
A division of the Ministry of the Economy will be investigating the cause of the spill and will be on-site overseeing cleanup efforts and pipeline repairs.
The province says Ocean Man Chief Connie Big Eagle is being kept apprised of the repair and remediation activities.