A mud blowout near the South Alouette River last week was handled well, according to the Alouette River Management Society.
The incident happened last Friday as crews were drilling horizontally beneath the river in order to install a sanitary sewer line extension to Fraser Regional Correctional Centre on 256th Street.
“It was a huge surprise, a bit of an embarrassment to the contractor,” said Geoff Clayton.
On the other hand, he added, there was a good response.
The hole had been capped with driller’s clay, but after heavy rains, pressure increased and the plug fractured, spewing mud on to Alouette Road.
Clayton was called about half an hour after the incident. Crushed rock dams were built to contain the flow and four truckloads of mud were vacuumed up during the cleanup.
He said that what little got in the river was well handled.
Ministry of Environment and Fisheries and Oceans Canada also were contacted.
“It seemed like the system worked.”