Exshaw hydraulic fluid spill closes school, cleanup underway
A cleanup is underway in an Alberta hamlet after high winds splattered hydraulic fluid across much of the community.
Equipment on a construction crane at the Lafarge cement plant failed Saturday, resulting in a leak of 41 litres of pressurized hydraulic fluid. High winds spread the mist over several hundred metres.
Exshaw School was closed Monday for cleanup. Public playgrounds were cleaned over the weekend.
Michelle Gurney, a spokeswoman for Lafarge, says anyone impacted by the spill will have it cleaned up at the company's expense, but it's not known yet how long that will take.
"Our priority is on doing a survey of the community to really understand where the material is and prioritize where we should go first in terms of cleanup," she said.
Gurney says the fluid is not classified as dangerous because it is a mineral-based product, but it still has to be cleaned up. The company apologizes for the incident and it's offering vouchers for free car washes.
Exshaw is about 90 kilometres west of Calgary.
