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Crews work to contain oil after truck tips in Central Saanich

WATCH: Truck turned over on Lochside Drive Thursday evening

A boom and pads are put in place to contain an oil spill after a rollover on Lochside Drive in Central Saanich Thursday evening.

The driver pulled over to the side of the road to let a car pass around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 24, when the very narrow grass shoulder gave way, tipping the truck into a farmer’s marshy field.

“If it was dry it probably would have been OK but it was so saturated that the edge just sloughed off,” said the driver Ryan who declined to share his last name.

The truck driver is responsible for coming up with a plan to right and remove the truck.

It is expected to be a complicated recovery. The truck, a 60-tonne heavy lift crane, will likely require a couple of cranes and a wrecker to move. A water main under the road complicates the removal.

Director of Engineering for Central Saanich, Brian Barnett, said the municipality met with the owner Friday morning to discuss next steps. A plan will have to be presented to the Engineering department for approval before the removal takes place.

“There are companies that specialize in this type of removal, but it could take a few days to get everything organized,” said Barnett. “For now, the boom and pads are containing the oil. Luckily, there is no moving water in that area that could spread the oil further, so the spill is contained.”


 
keri.coles@blackpress.ca

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A turned over truck on Lochside Drive in Central Saanich seeps oil. (Keri Coles/News staff)
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A turned over truck on Lochside Drive in Central Saanich seeps oil into the nearby ground. (Keri Coles/News staff)
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A turned over truck on Lochside Drive in Central Saanich seeps oil into the nearby ground. (Keri Coles/News staff)
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A turned over truck on Lochside Drive in Central Saanich seeps oil into the nearby ground. (Keri Coles/News staff)