The territorial government has released its annual snapshot of hazardous spills in the Northwest Territories.
The publication shows a slight increase in reported hazardous spills last year. There were 237 such spills in 2014, up by 12 on the previous year.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources says 55 percent of reported spills were considered small, at fewer than 100 litres. The largest spills came in at more than 100,000 litres.
Full report: Spills in the Northwest Territories 2014 (pdf)
Hazardous spills are those containing substances like gasoline, diesel, oils or waste water. Spills must be reported when they reach a certain threshold, depending on the type of spill and whether it made contact with land or water.
Mike Martin, a hazardous substance specialist with the GNWT, told Moose FM the slight uptick in spills may actually be good news, as it could be the result of more diligent reporting.
Visit Moose FM’s database of 2014 spills at major NWT mines to explore some of the spills recorded last year.
