Source: Care2.com

The spill was first discovered June 1st, near Zama City, roughly 100 kilometres south of the Northwest Territories border. Texas-based Apache Corporation, the oil company responsible for the spill, released their estimate of its size on June 12th.

"Every plant and tree died" in the area touched by the spill, said James Ahnassay, Chief of the Dene Tha First Nation, whose members run traplines in an area that has seen oil and gas development since the 1950s. Produced-water leaks are considered easier to clean up than oil spills. But the Dene Tha suspect this is a long-standing spill that may have gone undetected for months, given the widespread damage it has done. Apache and the Alberta government say its duration is under investigation.