A train derailment occurred on Canadian National Railway Co's primary route through northern Alberta on August 3, 2005, spilling bunker 'C' oil and small quantities of Imperial Pole Treating oil (PTO) into the water on the north shore of Wabamun Lake. Subsequently, oil spread along the northern, eastern and southern shores of Wabamun Lake, negatively affecting crucial habitat for numerous aquatic organisms, waterbirds, and waterfowl.