Cleaning up an oil spill at Masset's Tahayghen school is proving to be trickier than first thought.
School district officials discovered about a year ago that a heating oil tank behind the school had been leaking, and then removed between 50 and 60 cubic yards of soil to try to get the oil out.
However, more testing last month showed there was still some oil in the ground, which will have to be removed.
"They found two spots that contain just about basically straight fuel oil," said Bill Wiggins, School District maintenance supervisor.
Plans now are to either place some absorbent material down the test holes to sop up the oil, or remove more soil. Which option is best won't be known until an environemtal report, expected shortly, is given to the district.
Mr. Wiggins says between 250 and 1,000 gallons of oil leaked from the tank, that the oil is about 4.5 to 5 metres below the surface, and that it has not left Tahayghen property.
The clean-up and replacement of the tank has cost the district about $100,000 so far.