Chevron Canada Ltd. recently reported a gasoline and oily substance seeping from their Burrard Inlet refinery in Burnaby. A mixture of mostly water with gasoline, diesel and traces of crude oil were discovered in April by crews during a routine inspection of the refinery’s perimeter groundwater monitoring wells. The situation was revealed in news reports last week. The substance was detected in a ditch next to a railway right-of-way below the refinery, outside the company. However, Chevron maintains that damage is minimal, saying it’s the result of petroleum products that have soaked into soils on the site and eventually made their way into groundwater.

Less than 50 litres of material are estimated to have made it into groundwater.

Meanwhile, the company officials have reportedly vowed to stop the oil leak into waters, illustrating comparisons to the colossal oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Chevron spokesman, Mr. Ray Lord explained that planned extraction wells around the Chevron site will be deployed in concert with the absorption booms presently in the inlet to contain and recover the leak. At the foreshore, the company's environmental officials are collecting between 50 to 100 milliliters of an oil-like substance (about three to seven tablespoons) seeping into the refinery. He also said soaker pads and absorbent booms are being used to contain the daily seepage in a five-metre area of the nearby beach. The oil company installed 10 wells on the refinery property as part of the process to install pumps that will take the oily substance found in the groundwater, monitoring wells away from the edge of the company’s site. An interception trench down by the railroad tracks also continues to be pumped on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Burnaby, Derek Corrigan, says Chevron Canada Ltd. was wrong not to notify the city earlier of the oil seepage. He publicly chastised Chevron Thursday and demanded to know why the Chevron remained quiet for three weeks after finding a mixture of gasoline, diesel, crude oil and water in a ditch near their refinery in Burnaby Heights.

New Democrat environment critic, Mr. Rob Fleming says the B.C. Environment Ministry has not been taking the Chevron leak seriously enough since it was first reported on April 21.

Environment Minister Barry Penner says his ministry's officials are been working with Chevron, and he is monitoring their attempts to stop the leakage.

Aquatic biologist, John Werring, of the David Suzuki Foundation, who has been monitoring the site since the leak was first made public said, he is concerned that just few other experts appear to be investigating.

“I don't see anybody taking samples, doing any kind of cleanup, taking any kind of measurement.

I would expect we'd see some kind of environmental consultant down here taking samples." Werring said.