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Dense bush and poor weather are hampering the efforts of workers trying to reach the site of a crude oil pipeline leak, a spokeswoman for the Alberta Energy Regulator says.

Calgary-based Trilogy Energy Corp. discovered the leak Thursday at its Kaybob project, about 15 kilometres northeast of Fox Creek.

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The regulator said oil emulsion, consisting of half water and half oil, leaked into a flowing marsh area that isn’t home to fish.

Investigators still don’t know how much product was released because they’re having trouble getting equipment to the scene through the heavy forest, AER spokeswoman Carrie Rosa said Monday.

“It’s tough to access. It’s really densely vegetated. The past few days have been spent creating an access to the impacted area so the crews can begin the deliniation and remediation work.”

The weekend snow also created challenges for staff from the energy regulator Trilogy and their contractors, she said.

People who have reached the location by foot found two dead birds and signs of beaver lodges touched by hydrocarbons, Rosa said.

While workers have started taking soil and water samples, they don’t know the extent of the environmental damage.

The pipeline has been purged of any remaining product.

In a statement last week, Trilogy said it had activated its emergency response plan, and company crews and related response teams were assessing the impact of the leak and starting cleanup.

The firm is controlled by Calgary Flames co-owner Clayton Riddell.

Fox Creek is about 260 km northwest of Edmonton.

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