More than two months after being detected, the environmental cleanup of a massive diesel spill at an Irving truck stop on Beardsley Road in Woodstock continues.
The full scope of the spill, initially detected on Dec. 12, 2024, only became evident in late February when CBC unveiled information garnered through a freedom of information request from the New Brunswick environment department.
Emails and reports from government officials and others gathered through the CBC’s fact-finding search indicate as much as 100,000 litres of diesel escaped from the storage tank into the surrounding environment.
The far-reaching impact of the cleanup and mitigation efforts continues to affect businesses and homeowners surrounding the truck stop and restaurant, including ongoing water testing of neighbouring properties.
Documentation gathered by CBC shows that the fuel leak issue arrived at the Department of Environment and Local Government following a report from the Tim Horton’s franchise, which sits in the parking lot of Murray’s Irving Restaurant and Truck Stop on Beardsley Road in Woodstock.
After customers and staff raised concerns about the petroleum odour in the restaurant’s bathroom water, Tim Hortons contracted Gemtech to test its treated and untreated water.
On Dec. 12, the company collected samples, confirming the testing results on Dec. 14.
“They have received the results today and confirmed the presence of gasoline in the untreated water,” the Department of Environment environmental inspector stated in a Dec. 14 memo.
The discovery sparked a massive investigation into the spill’s source, extent, cleanup, and mitigation. Officials quickly discovered that a fuel leak had already contaminated the Tim Horton’s well and the well serving Murray’s restaurant and Irving truck stop.
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The businesses immediately closed their doors, and environment officials, Irving staff, and numerous consultants and contractors poured into the location to address the matter.
As confused area residents and customers watched a steady stream of equipment roll onto and around the Irving business lot and a level of activity increase daily, company and government officials offered little public explanation.
Meanwhile, the documentation secured by the CBC information request demonstrated growing concerns among environmental officials.
With the Irving underground fuel tanks pinpointed as the source of the contamination, the company immediately hired Dillon Consultants to identify the problem and develop a mitigation strategy.
The investigation soon discovered that what Prosser initially estimated (a potential 5,000-litre leak) appeared exponentially larger, possibly surpassing 100,000 litres. In addition to breaching the nearby wells, the free-flowing fuel put surrounding wells at risk. It infiltrated the groundwater and flowed overground downhill towards the nearby Trans Canada Highway.
Environmental inspector documents indicate that surface water in the nearby highway ditches contained 90 per cent fuel.
Tim Hortons immediately closed its business following the discovery and remains closed almost three months later. Meanwhile, Murray’s Restaurant and the Irving gas bar reopened after a few days, using potable water trucked into the businesses.
The Town of Woodstock confirmed that an Irving contractor is purchasing water from its town well and trucking the business.
Soon after, trucks, heavy equipment, vacuum trucks, and crews converged around the Irving site to collect contaminated water. Irving-contracted water-testing crews spread out through the immediate area to contact neighbouring property owners.
Hilary Stockford of Stockford Reefers, a trucking service company located in the industrial park just north of the Irving truck stop, said Irving contractors “are doing regular water testing” of their wells. She said they are doing the same for other businesses and homeowners throughout the area.
Stockford acknowledged her deep “concern” about the situation and said she appreciates the attention given to ensuring their water quality. To date, she added, all test results have returned clean, and she hopes that continues.
The size of the spill shocked many, including environmental officials. Investigators identified the cause of the leak as a cracked elbow attached to one of the Irving underground tanks.
Despite identifying the apparent cause of the leak, investigators noted in their reports and emails that they couldn’t determine whether the diesel leaked slowly over a long period of time or flowed quickly into the surrounding ground.
“Investigation is ongoing as to why the release didn’t trigger any sort of alarm, and there may be no way to know if it was a small leak over a few months or something larger with a shorter time frame, explained Mallory Gilliss, a manager of contaminated sites with the Department of Environment, in a report issued on Dec. 23.
Many people familiar with the intense record-keeping and safety protocols surrounding fuel tanks are bewildered by how that much fuel could leak undetected.
“It’s mind-boggling,” said an operator familiar with fuel storage.
He and other operators explained that service stations or anyone operating fuel depots must maintain precise records showing the amount of fuel flowing in and out of the tanks.
Operators are required to do daily reconciliations and be prepared for audits at any time.
The Department of Environment officials declined to answer questions surrounding its investigation of the nature of the leak, directing the media to the company owner. Irving officials have not responded to media inquiries.
While cleanup and mitigation efforts continue, neither government nor company officials have offered a report about the spread of the contaminant, including whether it reached the surrounding watershed or dispersed into the groundwater tables.