Cleaning efforts are almost complete at the site of an oil pipeline leak that saw between 60 and 125 barrels spilled last week in northern Alberta, though officials continue to search for potential environmental repercussions.
The leak was discovered Wednesday morning at a Penn West crude oil pipeline, 40 kilometres west of the community of Smith, near the Otauwau River. The spill was caught after an undetermined amount of crude oil had leaked into the river.
An aerial search over the weekend found no visible oil left in the water or on the banks after a containment and recovery boom on the Otauwau, Lesser Slave and Athabasca Rivers.
Staff from the Energy Resources Conservation Board, Alberta Environment and Penn West will continue to fly over the area and assess any resulting environmental damage.
To date, there have been no determined impacts to wildlife or the river banks.
