POUCE COUPE -- The B.C. Energy Regulator is confirming a sour gas leak at an Ovintiv lease near Pouce Coupe.
The leak occurred at a site near Riverside Road shortly after midnight on April 3rd, 2024.
Staff were dispatched to the multi-well pad after a monitoring device detected an anomaly, where it was identified that a surface casing leak had occurred.
“The operator activated their Emergency Response Plan, which included air monitoring, site access control measures, and notifying residences within the emergency response zone,” said BCER in a statement.
A resident who lives a short distance from the site told CJDC-TV that he received a phone call from Ovintiv notifying him of the leak at around 2:00 a.m.
The resident says company vehicles monitored his driveway and the nearby area until he received another phone call at around 5:00 p.m. that same day.
Ovintiv informing him that the situation was under control, crews were standing down, and an investigation would be taking place to mitigate the risk of another leak in the future.
Ovintiv confirmed that there was no hydrogen sulphate detected offsite.
“The operator mobilized services, stopped the leak, and are continuing to monitor the site while determining route cause and replacing any defective equipment,” said the BCER.
The BCER says their well technical experts worked with Ovintiv to ensure a mitigation plan was in place and to outline reporting requirements.
BCER Compliance & Enforcement Officers and Technical Advisors will be conducting a follow-up inspection to ensure compliance as Ovintiv monitors the incident.
In November of 2021, the B.C. Energy Regulator confirmed there was an uncontrolled release of 4,000 cubic metres of hydrocarbons at the same site after a casing valve was left partially open while crews were completing work on a well.
In a decision dated November 24, 2023, Ovintiv was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine for the incident.
