The leak is being contained in the 400-metre-by-400-metre pit, but a Shell spokesman has said the company doesn’t know what is causing salt water to seep from the bottom of the pit or how to stop it.
Groundwater mapping urged to avoid more mine leaks
By Andrea Sands, Edmonton Journal December 10, 2010Alberta needs better groundwater mapping if it wants to avoid leaks like one at a mine pit at Shell Canada’s Muskeg River site, says David Schindler, an internationally recognized University of Alberta water expert.
“Concerns over the poor mapping of groundwater in the area have been voiced for many years, and this is an example of the sort of nasty surprises that occur when we are not well prepared at the start,” Schindler said Thursday in an e-mail to The Journal.