Cenovus Energy Inc. is facing questions over a well leak at a thermal facility in western Saskatchewan, where an area resident says some are concerned about their health.
Mylan Tootoosis of Poundmaker Cree Nation said Thursday the Rush Lake site in Paynton, Sask., is releasing a strong stench and some are getting headaches, watery eyes and sore throats.
“It was to the point where the smell was making its way into households and the school,” Tootoosis said.
“Everybody was pretty upset with how bad it has gotten over the last month. There’s been no formal communication, no information sharing from Cenovus. We want to see data.”
Cenovus said in a statement it’s working to resolve the leak, which has been releasing an odorous water vapour since early May.
It said it does not know the cause but believes it may be a problem with a well casing.
“We are continuously monitoring the air quality both at site and in the surrounding areas,” the company said.
“Fluids onsite are being contained within berms to prevent them from entering any waterways. We are regularly monitoring nearby water bodies and there is no impact.”
In a statement, Saskatchewan’s energy ministry said the fluid being released is mostly muddy water and steam, but it includes hydrogen sulfide gas.
“While gas being released at the site is causing strong odours, the monitoring work has detected no immediate risk to public health,” the ministry said.
Tootoosis described the odour as smelling of tar and rotten eggs.
“There’s some people who say that it shows up in their mouth, like they feel like they could taste it as a result of smelling it,” he said.
The ministry does not know when the problem will be resolved, but says it will conduct a review and outline remediation requirements once the situation is cleared.
“The focus remains on bringing the surface release under control, maintaining public and environmental safety, and verifying and approving Cenovus’ incident response measures,” it said.
Tootoosis said some are referring to Rush Lake as “Hush Lake,” because they aren’t getting answers.
“I definitely need to see some transparency,” he said. “We also need a third-party investigation into what happened and why it’s been taking so long (to resolve the leak).”
Asked about the issue at an unrelated news conference Wednesday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he had spoken with Cenovus representatives and was told the company is working to contain the leak.
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