The Ministry of Environment and Parks is assessing the damage of an oil spill on a horse farm north of Campbell River after a fuel company drove onto the wrong property and mistakenly pumped diesel into a water truck on Jan. 6, leaking 786 litres onto the ground.
Dave Duck, manager of the horse farm off North Island Highway, said he saw a semi-truck carrying fuel enter the property, assuming it had taken a wrong turn, as often happens on Duncan Bay Road. He went to lunch since no delivery was expected.
Shortly after, Duck came out and noticed that the driver had parked his fuel truck, connected the tank to the water tank and pumped it full of diesel, Duck rushed over, but he could not find the truck driver.
“The driver was out looking to get reception on his phone,” Duck said. “So he wasn’t even there. The gauge read about 780 litres.”
The horse farm’s water truck, used for watering the indoor arena, as well as providing portable water for the athletic showjumping horses, had been left with all its valves open to prevent damage from freezing.
In an emailed statement, AFD Petroleum said its emergency response team was notified on Jan. 6 of the 700-plus-litre diesel spill.
A professional environmental contractor was contacted immediately and responded overnight, building booms and using absorbent materials to protect the nearby waterway, the company said.
“A preliminary assessment completed early this morning found no diesel in the waterway,” said Gurshan Dhillon, chief marketing officer with the company.
“Crews remain on site (Jan. 7) with additional equipment en route, and we are working with BC Environment to complete soil management as quickly and safely as possible.”
A ministry spokesperson said it will continue to monitor the cleanup.
According to the ministry, it can receive as many as 5,000 calls annually about spills, which can be as small as a litre at the local gas station or thousands of litres in larger events. The number of larger spill events can be found on its website. In 2025, there were over 30 large spills reported.