The province has had enough and is taking over the cleanup of the former Gas Plus site in the city's northwest after the company failed to comply with numerous requests to remediate the site.
A leak was discovered at the gas station in April 2010 and it’s estimated that about 9000 liters of fuel leaked into the ground.
Residents have been lobbying the province and Alberta Environment to clean up the site ever since.
The province says Gas Plus Inc./Handel Transport (Northern) Ltd. has failed to remediate the site and surrounding area to the standards set by the province through an Environmental Protection Order and so it is taking over in the interest of public safety.
The province says it will exercise its authority to carry out the necessary work on and off-site under the terms of the Environmental Protection Order.
Work is expected to begin as soon as it can obtain access to the site from Gas Plus and the owners of other affected properties.
The province says it will obtain access through court proceedings, if required, and that assessment of the contamination in the area is already underway.
Full remediation of the site will be handled by the province but officials say the owners of the site, Gas Plus/Handel Transport, are fully responsible for the release of the hydrocarbons, and are therefore liable for all costs associated with the remediation.
Officials say residents will be updated as the work progresses.
Gas Plus Inc./Handel Transport (Northern) Ltd. responded saying the province's allegations are without merit...
