Chestermere Lake water shut off after upstream Calgary oil spill, levels returning to normal

Water levels at Chestermere Lake, located about 20 kilometres east of Calgary, began returning to normal on Monday after a temporary shutdown of incoming water on Friday in response to an upstream oil spill.

The spill occurred at a commercial business in the 3500 block of 78 Avenue Southeast in Calgary, where approximately 1,200 litres of motor oil and hydraulic oil leaked from a storage tank. The spill entered the Western Headworks Canal, which carries water from the Bow River at Harvie Passage into the Chestermere Lake reservoir.

Calgary Fire Department investigators traced the source and deployed a vacuum truck for cleanup. The provincial government confirmed that the facility operator is covering all cleanup costs. The City of Chestermere said based on cleanup and containment efforts, the oil did not reach the lake itself.

While inflow to the lake was halted, water continued flowing outward, which temporarily lowered water levels. The Western Irrigation District, which operates the lake, suspended the inflow Friday and returned the canal system to operation Saturday afternoon. Lake levels were expected to stabilize by Monday as the Irrigation District led the investigation.