Imperial Oil logo at the company’s annual meeting in Calgary on April 28, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Imperial Oil logo at the company’s annual meeting in Calgary on April 28, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Imperial Oil investigating 55,000-litre spill of produced water in N.W.T.

About 55,000 litres of produced water was released on Wednesday

Imperial Oil Ltd. says it is investigating a spill from a produced water line at its facility in Norman Wells, N.W.T.

The petroleum refining company says about 55,000 litres of produced water was released on Wednesday.

The byproduct is produced during the extraction of oil and gas, is high in saline and can be contaminated with other substances.

The company says it is investigating whether the produced water entered the Mackenzie River.

It says water quality monitoring does not indicate a risk to public health or wildlife.

The cause of the spill has not yet been determined.

– The Canadian Press