Arviat, Nunavut, MLA questions age of airport heating fuel tank, after spill

A fuel leak at the Arviat air terminal building caused the terminal to close earlier this month. (Submitted by Calm Air via RCI)

Thousands of litres of heating fuel leaked into containment berm earlier this month

A Nunavut MLA is questioning how often the territory replaces fuel tanks at government facilities, after a spill earlier this month closed the Arviat airport for several days.

“As I was leaving Arviat to come here, the tank was outside and visible and I looked at it. There was a lot of corrosion on the tank, and I saw a hole on the tank,” said Arviat South MLA Joe Savikataaq in the legislature on Monday.

A leak at the terminal on May 16 sent 3,000 to 4,000 litres of heating fuel into a containment berm, where it mixed with water. Around 55 barrels of the mixture had to be pumped out of the area, according to the hamlet’s mayor.

Savikataaq asked the transportation minister how old the fuel tank is and whether there was any policy dictating when tanks need to be replaced, the way homeowners are required by their insurers to periodically replace oil tanks.

“To the best of my recollection, it’s the original fuel tank since Nunavut’s been in existence, since that air terminal building was built,” Savikataaq said.

David Akeeagok, the territory’s minister of Economic Development and Transportation, said he couldn’t confirm exactly how old the tank was at the Arviat airport but said it dates to at least the early ’90s.

He also said government departments work together to determine when to update infrastructure.

“This is a group effort between [the department of] Community and Government Services and ourselves, in terms of what needs to be replaced within buildings,” he said.

“Both departments do assess each of the buildings and determine when and how to replace the fuel tanks.”

This article is republished from RCI.