Small oil spill confirmed in N.W.T.

Crews from Enbridge Inc. are cleaning up a small oil spill from a pipeline that leaked in the Northwest Territories, according to the company.

Company officials confirmed to CBC News that its Norman Wells pipeline near Willowlake River, north of Fort Simpson, N.W.T., released about four barrels of oil into the environment earlier this week.

The spill was confirmed on Monday afternoon, and Enbridge has filed a preliminary spill report with the National Energy Board.

"There's a very small amount of product that has been released and we are working with appropriate regulatory authorities and local land owners," company spokesperson Gina Jordan said Tuesday.

By comparison, about 28,000 barrels of crude oil spilled from a Plains Midstream Canada pipeline near Peace River, Alta., last week.

Efforts are underway to clean up that spill, which is considered to be one of the largest in Alberta's history.

Jordan said the Norman Wells pipeline was shut off at the time, since the Peace River spill prompted Plains Midstream to shut down its pipeline until Alberta regulators allow it to reopen.

"Enbridge does take every incident very seriously and we're certainly treating this situation as a top priority," Jordan said.

"We have sent a full team to the area to clean it up as quickly as possible."

The leak has been contained, but Jordan said the company does not know how long it will take to clean up the site.

Crews are currently improving access to the site in order to bring in larger equipment, Jordan said.