After a fuel leak at the Kotaneelee gas processing plant was discovered, the company that owns the plant has been ordered to clean up and remedy the site.

Nestled in the southeast corner of the territory, the non-operational plant owned by EFLO Energy Yukon Ltd. can only be accessed by air or barge.

At 10:55 last Friday morning, an Environment Yukon employee was taking samples of baseline groundwater in the area when the spill was noticed and reported it to the department’s spills hotline.

“The spill report described the substance as an ‘unknown petroleum hydrocarbon.’ It didn’t say anything else,” Rob Thomson, the director of compliance monitoring and inspections with the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, told a news briefing Monday afternoon in Whitehorse.

“It also stated that the substance is leaking from the building, that it was dripping from beneath the door, and it may have crossed the road adjacent from the site.”

By nearly 9 p.m. Friday, the department had issued a press release that indicated an environmental protection order and a remedial order had been issued. The company would have to stop and contain the leak by noon the following Sunday.

The orders would also require the Houston-based company to fence the affected area, proceed with cleanup and remediation and ensure the plant and equipment gets brought back to working order.

Thomson said EFLO reported that it had stopped the leak by Saturday.

Department officials attended the site Sunday to determine the extent and nature of the spill and take samples of the “unknown petroleum hydrocarbon.”

Though there is a small creek that flows parallel to the gas plant, there was no apparent evidence of the leak reaching the water.

An aerial photograph provided by the department shows the leakage is about 29 metres long and roughly two metres wide.

Asked how much fluid had leaked from the building, Thomson said that is still unknown.

“Because it was an unknown substance, we were unwilling to wade into the pool to measure its depth,” he said.

“At the point where the samples were taken, it was 20 to30 centimetres deep.”

Senior oil and gas advisor Laura Spicer remain tight-lipped in response to several questions from reporters, including what the company’s plan for cleanup and remediation would be.

“We’re not at liberty to release that,” Spicer said.

“The company will do the cleanup and we will ensure that it is done,” Thomson said.

While it seemed fortunate that an Environment Yukon employee just happened to be in the remote area at that time, Spicer said EFLO had had an official at the site that same week.

She could not, however, provide details as to how regularly the site is inspected.

The lingering, unanswered questions about the incident have sparked a response from the territory’s New Democratic Party leader, Liz Hanson.

“While the government has told Yukoners that the spill has been contained, its disclosures beg more important questions,” Hanson said in a statement.

She highlighted several questions. Those include the estimated time between the leak’s start and its discovery, the amount of leakage and the type of fuel that was leaked.

“The Yukon NDP remains committed to the principle that Yukoners should have full disclosure from the government when a public safety issue such as a ‘hydrocarbon spill’ takes place,” Hanson said.

“While the Yukon government needs to ensure that Yukoners get the full picture about this incident, it is also a reminder of other ways that Yukoners should be better informed about the state of hazardous materials in the territory,” the NDP said.

“The government’s contaminated sites registry, currently only accessible by calling Environment Yukon, should be made available online for public reference,” the party said.

Samples of the leaked petroleum have been shipped to an accredited lab for analysis.

EFLO is required to write a repair and remediation plan by Friday.

A report confirming the work has been done must be completed by Sept. 18.

The facility had been operating from 1978 through to 2012. It is linked by pipeline to Fort Nelson, B.C.