The City of Yellowknife plans to recover any costs it incurs cleaning up a suspected heating fuel spill discovered along Con Road last year.
Contractors learned about the spill towards the end of construction season in August.
Because it was discovered so late in the year, cleanup work will continue this year before the street is paved.
Crews were replacing water and sewer lines under Con Road near the intersection with 55 Street when the smell of fuel was noted near a private property in the area.
“Hydrocarbon contaminated soil was discovered within the roadway and adjacent private property,” according to an agenda prepared ahead of Monday’s municipal services committee meeting.
Senior administrative officer Sheila Bassi-Kellett says the city is in talks with the territory’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources to determine expectations for cleanup.
Because the spill was on both city and private land, Bassi-Kellett says the city will work with the property owner to resolve the issue.
“We will work with the homeowner to address this,” she said.
“[We will] work with them to guide them under the terms of the Environmental Protection Act to make sure that they’re able to clean up what they need to under their responsibility,” she said.
It’s estimated that the spill was up to 15 metres in length. The city believes it originated on private property since it doesn’t have heating fuel tanks in the area.
Bassi-Kellett says additional costs may arise in order to properly dispose of further contaminated soil. She says the city will seek restitution for any costs associated with the cleanup.
No cost estimates were provided on Monday.
