The former Husky gas station at the junction of Highway 9 and Centre Street in Gimli will be undergoing an environmental assessment to determine whether soil and groundwater has potentially been contaminated with select petroleum hydrocarbon compounds.
WSP Canada Ltd., an engineering firm that deals with contaminated land and soil among other professional services, was retained by Federated Co-operatives to assess the environmental condition of the former gas station.
WSP asked the RM of Gimli for permission to undertake assessment activities along the back lane to the east and southeast of the former gas station.
The firm will be drilling two test holes to gather soil samples and monitor groundwater.
“As part of the June 2025 assessment. WSP proposes to complete two test holes as groundwater monitoring wells to assess environmental conditions …. Soil samples will be collected at 0.8 m intervals to the maximum depth of investigation 13.7 m and select samples will be submitted for laboratory analysis of select petroleum hydrocarbon compounds,” states WSP in a May 13 letter to the RM.
“Approximately two weeks following the installation of the two groundwater monitoring wells, a groundwater monitoring program will be completed. Groundwater samples will be collected from the two newly installed monitoring wells as well as existing wells at the site and submitted for laboratory analysis of select petroleum hydrocarbon compounds.”
It has been documented in scientific literature that gas stations have a potential to contaminate soil and groundwater. Petrochemicals can leach into drinking water sources from spills during the fuelling of underground tanks and/or from the corrosion of underground tanks over time. Petrochemicals – including airborne emissions of volatile organic compounds during fuelling – are dangerous to human health. Benzene, which is one of the chemicals in gasoline and diesel, is a known carcinogen.
“Fuel leaks cause soil and aquifers to become contaminated and can thus damage people’s health. This is why efficiently and rapidly detecting these leaks is a challenge that many researchers have been working on for years …,” states a 2024 study titled “Towards a more realistic approach to the problem of detecting fuel leaks in filling stations: mixed time windows” in the Journal of Cleaner Production, which discusses the use of Artificial Intelligence to detect leaks.
The former Husky gas station currently has a food store, three fiberglass underground storage tanks (USTs), four pump islands, associated piping and an above-ground propane storage tank, according to WSP.
WSP states that its assessment will be completed in June and the information obtained will “assist with further refinement of a long-term environmental management plan.”
The Express reached out to the municipality for comment.
The RM’s manager of community engagement Christine Payne said the RM has no information about potential contamination and risks to residents.
“In as far as the questions you raised … are best directed to WSP,” said Payne. “The municipality cannot answer these, as we do not have that information …. As a matter of fact, council is only being asked to consider granting permission for work on municipal property.”
