ROLLA, B.C. – The Peace River Regional District says they haven’t received an official update from the province since the afternoon of May 7th, following a spill of hydrocarbon in Rolla.

On Friday, May 6th, a sheen in a ditch and a strong odour were reported in the community of Rolla, about 22km northeast of Dawson Creek. 

The PRRD says B.C.’s Ministry of Environment contacted them on May 7th, requesting that the district inform residents in Rolla to avoid the area until response and mitigation work have concluded and for residents living nearest to the spill site to shelter in place if odours intensify.

The province has not supplied an official update on its spill incidents page. According to the page, the spill’s cause is unknown, with the spilled content listed as hydrocarbon.

An Environmental Emergency Response Officer (EERO) from the ministry has been on-site investigating the cause.

The province says they have retained Oakridge Environmental to assist with spill response efforts and adds that there is no threat to public safety at this time, the PRRD said in a release.

The PRRD says they will continue to provide updates to residents as they become available.

Spencer Hall is a news reporter for energeticcity.ca and a recent graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Radio Arts & Entertainment program. Growing up in Northwest B.C. made Spencer aware of the importance of local journalism, independent media, and reconciliation. In his spare time, you can find Spencer reading, playing video games, or at the FSJ dog park with his dog, Teddy.