‘Sears plume’ finally to be cleaned up
Posted Feb 12, 2020 4:10 pm.
Last Updated Feb 12, 2020 4:11 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The cleanup near the site of an old gas station in the northwest is finally going ahead.
The Sears location at North Hill Mall was once the site of a gas station until it closed in the 1990s.
Unfortunately, a gas leak was never cleaned up once the station closed, and it’s been making its way to the Bow River.
The leak has worried residents of nearby Hounsfield Heights for years.
READ MORE: Who will cleanup the ‘Sears plume’?
Following a hearing in December, The Environmental Appeal Board (AEP) ruled Tuesday that Suncor and the now-bankrupt Sears will be responsible for the clean-up efforts.
In its report, the EAP required the cleanup of all liquid petroleum hydrocarbons in the neighbourhood and nearby parkland to be finished within 18 months.
The overall cleanup of the leak, however, is likely to take much longer.
Alberta Environment and Parks believe the full remediation could take up to 15 years to complete.
