WOODSTOCK, N.B. — More than two dozen wellheads have appeared around an Irving Oil gas station in Woodstock, following the discovery of a diesel fuel leak involving over 174,000 litres. The leak, which went undetected for an unknown period, led to the closure of the gas station, an attached restaurant, and a neighboring Tim Hortons in December.
The wellheads are believed to be part of a network of test wells, used to track underground fluid movement, including contamination such as diesel. CBC News counted 26 of these new installations, some accompanied by drilled bedrock cores. The wells are located on the station’s property, across both sides of the Trans-Canada Highway, and along Beardsley Road.
Irving Oil Ltd. has not responded to repeated requests for comment about the wells or potential risks to nearby residents. The company has remained silent since news of the spill first surfaced.
Crews have been working around the clock using vacuum trucks to recover the leaked diesel, which reportedly escaped through a cracked fill elbow connected to an underground storage tank.
Melissa Bunn, a hydrologist with Natural Resources Canada, said it is reasonable to expect ongoing monitoring at the site. Diesel is a non-aqueous liquid, meaning it does not easily mix with water. She explained that the leaked fuel likely moved through layers of silt and sand before settling on the underground water table above bedrock.
“These liquids don’t flush out easily with water flow,” Bunn said. “They tend to sit in small pockets underground and can remain for a long time.”
She added that as water levels in the ground rise and fall, diesel may eventually start to dissolve into the water supply, posing long-term environmental risks. Test wells, she said, are a crucial early warning system for identifying where such contamination is moving and how concentrated it becomes.
The full extent of the spill’s impact is still unknown, and experts say long-term monitoring may be necessary to assess ongoing risks to groundwater and public health.
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