Decontamination efforts still underway at site of Coldstream gas spill

VERNON – Authorities continue to investigate a gas spill that prompted a large decontamination response in Coldstream last month.

Roughly 6,000 litres of gasoline spilled at the Centex Gas Station on Kalamalka Road around midnight Nov. 25, and Environmental Emergency Response Officer Rick Wagner says they are still looking into the cause and conducting remediation work at the site. 

“We need to make sure we understand all the different circumstances around why the event occurred,” Wagner says.

The Conservation Officer service is heading up the investigation into the spill, and Wagner says they are still in the process of gathering information from the refinery, the dispatcher and the store owner to figure out exactly what happened and if charges will be recommended. 

Initial findings suggested the fuel delivery operator overfilled the station’s tank.

Thanks to a cold snap, much of the spilled gas froze or was absorbed into snow, making it easy to vacuum up, however work is still underway to fully decontaminate the site.

“They’re investigating what the soil conditions are below the actual tank, as well as below the pavement on the property,” Wagner says.

Schools and municipal offices in the area were closed down for a day as a precaution due to gas fumes, and several nearby residents were told to stay indoors.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.