Class 2 drilling mud, ADEC estimates 23,250 gallons. Class 2 drilling mud is typically composed of predominantly seawater, ground up clay and a polymer. It may also contain small quantities of petroleum and methanol. The polymer makes the mud thicker and heavier to assist in sealing the drilling hole. The mud lubricates the drill bit, carries cuttings to the surface and helps seal the side of the drill hole.
Investigation is ongoing on the actual contents of the discharged drilling mud.
Site cleanup work has stopped as of this morning due to safety concerns of the extremely cold weather conditions. It is the use of the snowmachines in the wind that poses the greatest risk to the workers. The cleanup crew has been transferred over to the GC1 D Pad Flowline cleanup. On that site the workers are making frequent crew changes so they can get warm in the warm-up shacks and buses that have been provided. As weather permits cleanup crews will remove the drilling mud using shovels and transport it with snowmachines to the gravel pad.