Drilling undertaken at justice centre to determine impact of fuel leak

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

The province is awaiting the results of drilling it did in the floor of the new justice centre under construction, to see what impact, if any, a recent diesel leak may have had on the structure.

“We did do some drilling as a precautionary measure and are now awaiting the test results” Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal department spokesperson Cathy MacIsaac said late last week. “We expect the results anytime now.”

The drilling was done on the bottom floor in the area where the leak occurred, MacIsaac says, adding several spots were drilled in that area.

The leak happened a few weeks ago, although the size of it varies depending on who you ask. The justice department said it was a 200-gallon diesel leak, while other sources have said they were told it was closer to 400 gallons. The source of the leak was temporary heaters being used at the site.

As the Vanguard earlier reported, a private contractor was subcontracted to handle the cleaning. As part of standard protocol, a harbour boom that allows water but not oil to pass through was installed to ensure there was no runoff into the harbour. MacIsaac said at the time of the leak there was no indication of contamination of any kind, although again, others have suggested there are indications some of the leak made it to the harbour.

As for the pace of the justice centre construction, MacIsaac says barring any delays, it is expected to be complete by this fall, likely in November.