Hydrochloric Acid spill near AB border

DISCLAIMER: Information provided is based on reports received by Emergency Management B.C. Information provided is considered to be current at the time of posting, but is subject to change as new information becomes available.

Incident Description

Incident Date	March 22, 2018
Name	Hydrochloric Acid spill near AB border (DGIR: 174383)
Source	Corrosive Tanker Truck
Nearest Community	Tupper, B.C.
Spilled Content	Hydrochloric Acid
Who is involved?	Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE), B.C. Ministry of Environment & Climate Change, Caribou Road Services, Conservation Officer Service, CANUTEC, BC Parks

---

Response Phase Detail

The responsible person or spiller is legally required to clean-up or manage the clean-up of a spill. In incidents where the responsible person is unknown, unable or unwilling to manage the clean up, the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy (MOE) may assume the role. The updates below reflect the Ministry’s oversight of the spillers’ actions; details describe the spill response phase, only, and not the complete lifecycle of the spill. See More Information for other related reports. 

Updates are in reverse chronological order, with the most recent at the top. Industry-specific language may be explained in the Glossary of Terms (PDF).

Most Recent Update

April 4, 2018 - 4:14 pm

Excavation of impacted soil and further product removal by vacuum truck continues at the incident site. The pH readings nearest to Albright creek have returned to normal.

The environmental contractor hired by the responsible person will continue with a sampling plan to ensure Albright creek was not impacted by the spill. The responding EERO (Environmental Emergency Response Officer) will continue to monitor the clean up as it progresses. 

No further incident updates are expected.  

March 29, 2018 - 2:32 pm

Flushing operations have continued for the past two days (March 27, 2018 - March 29, 2017). Vacuum trucks have remained at the incident site and continue to recover impacted water. Impacted soil around the incident site continue to be excavated and removed. 

The responding Environmental Emergency Response Officer (EERO) attended the site March 27 and March 28, meeting with the environmental consultants and overseeing spill cleanup operations. 

The next update will be provided when new information is available. 

March 27, 2018 - 11:16 am

An Environmental Emergency Response Officer (EERO) attended the incident site on Monday, March 26, 2018 and will be on site again today (Tuesday, March 27, 2018) to monitor spill cleanup progress. 

A temporary dam was built to limit hydrochloric acid migration from the impacted unnamed creek into Albright Creek. Flushing operations began on Monday, March 26, 2018 and will continue today. 

Water quality samples were taken at Albright Creek, both upstream and downstream of the mouth of the unnamed creek. Initial field screenings show no pH spikes in Ablright Creek. 

The environmental consultant, hired by the responsible person (spiller), will be preparing an impact assessment for the waterways that are potentially affected. 

The next update will be posted as soon as new information is available.  

March 24, 2018 - 6:30 pm

An EERO (Environmental Emergency Response Officer) was at the incident site today and met with the land owner and the environmental consultants. 

Two vacuum trucks continued to remove hydrochloric acid at the vehicle accident site today. The environmental consultants have built a dam at the mouth of the impacted unnamed creek where it flows into Albright Creek. A vacuum truck will be stationed there overnight to remove any product that accumulates at the dam.

A plan was created for flushing the product, collecting it and then disposing of it offsite. Flushing will begin tomorrow around 11:00 am. 

An EERO will attend the site tomorrow to monitor progress and ensure appropriate actions continue to be taken to protect public health, property and the environment. 

March 24, 2018 - 7:34 am

The responding EEROs (Environmental Emergency Response Officers) remained at the site of the hydrochloric acid spill throughout the day yesterday (March 23, 2018) and into the evening.

Vacuum trucks worked both sides of the highway to remove free product. Multiple test pits were dug along a nearby creek and preliminary testing suggests the product has migrated along the creek. The extent of the migration is difficult to determine due to the snow pack depth and the product being clear in colour. 

The responding EEROs with B.C. Ministry of Environment have contacted Northern Health Emergency Health Officers regarding potential drinking supplies in the area.

Response contractors and an EERO will return to the incident site this morning to continue assessment and recovery operations.

Please check DriveBC.ca for information on highway closures. 

The next update will be provided when new information is available. 

March 23, 2018 - 1:00 pm

Two EEROs (Environmental Emergency Response Officers) have arrived at the incident site. The truck and trailer have been removed and field assessments are being done to determine if the hydrochloric acid has made its way to a small creek near the accident site. 

Northern Health and the B.C. Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation (MIRR) have been notified. Notifications to local First Nations are currently being undertaken. 

Further updates will be provided when new information is available. 

March 23, 2018 - 9:44 am

A tanker truck carrying hydrochloric acid was involved in a single motor vehicle accident yesterday afternoon (March 22, 2018) approximately 200 m west of the Alberta border on Highway 2. The tanker truck and pup trailer ended up in the ditch with the pup trailer landing upside down.

Initial reports stated nothing had leaked. Specialized crews were sent to offload the product from the tanker. During the offload earlier this morning, it was determined that 17,000 L of product had leaked from the tanker unit. 

Two Environmental Emergency Response Officers (EEROs) with B.C. Ministry of Environment are heading to the site today. 

Further updates will be provided when new information is available. 

(Hydrochloric acid spill near the Alberta border on Highway 2 - March 22, 2018)