There is potential for up to 50,000 litres of diesel to spill into a northern B.C. waterway after a transport truck hit a bison on Highway 97.
The Environment and Parks Ministry received a report of a spill involving the truck on Wednesday (July 22) on Highway 97 northwest of Coal River and just south of the B.C.-Yukon border.
Initial reports from the ministry’s spills and environmental emergencies says the transport truck was hauling diesel and collided with a bison, sending the truck off the road and ending up on its side.
The ministry says the reports suggest the tanks are “compromised” and may be leaking into a waterway that is downslope from the truck. The waterway is likely to be impacted if diesel is leaking, it adds.
While the exact amount of diesel spilled was unknown on Wednesday, the ministry says there is potential for up to 50,000 litres to be released.
The ministry says a response contractor is on the site and a response officer had been deployed to the site.