 |
|
|
|
|
|
Contaminated soil along pipeline Leaks 'possible' near Norman Wells, says Enbridge Kassina Ryder Northern News Services Published Monday, February 25, 2013
However, Graham White said leaks have not been confirmed and an investigation is ongoing. "No, we have not determined cause," White said. "You asked if it (leaks) was a possibility and I said yes it is, but that will be determined with the investigation conducted with ourselves and regulators." The pipeline carries crude oil on an 870-km journey from Norman Wells to Zama, Alta. Contaminated soil was found at two sites along the pipeline the week of Feb. 4 during scheduled maintenance checks, White said. The checks, performed through the company's Integrity Dig Program, found hydrocarbons in the soil about 60 kilometres west of Fort Simpson. About 30 cubic metres of soil has been excavated at that site, White said. Hydrocarbons were also found in soil at another point along the pipeline, about 120 kilometres west of Fort Simpson. White said 60 to 70 cubic metres of soil have been excavated there. He said repair sleeves were also installed on both parts of the pipeline. "We put another layer of steel tubing over top of the existing line just to ensure, again, if there are any weaknesses in that line, it's contained within the secondary sleeves before we restarted the line," he said. "We can say with absolute certainty that any ongoing leaks, or whatever it was, coming from the line has been contained." The pipeline was shut down temporarily. "We did shut down the line for a period of time where we could make an absolute determination that there were no hydrocarbons coming from that line," he said. White said the contamination does not pose a threat to bodies of water nearby or ground water. "We made that determination very early that we were not within the proximity of any surface or underlaying water sources," he said. "So in these two cases we've had no issues with water contamination or water exposure." The company is providing information to the National Energy Board, White said. Enbridge has also reported the incident to the NWT/NU Spill Report Line and local communities, the company's website stated. Pehdzeh Ki First Nation Chief Tim Lennie was hunting with friends when they found an oil spill along the pipeline near Wrigley in 2011. At the beginning, Enbridge said it believed the equivalent of about four barrels had spilled. An investigation revealed the amount was much larger. Between 700 and 1,500 barrels worth of oil was estimated to have spilled at the site in 2011, leaving residents concerned about the nearby Willowlake River. "They called it a 'pinhole leak'," Lennie said. "That's pretty significant." The investigation revealed a crack in a girth weld caused the leak, according to the NEB. The crack was then repaired with a "pressure-containing sleeve." Lennie said he is concerned by Enbridge's practice of putting sleeves on weak areas of the pipeline. "It will be very weak," he said. "As time goes on, how much more patching needs to be done until you're sure it's in a safe running condition?" Lennie said the pipeline's age has him worried incidents and spills will continue. "We've been saying all along that this pipeline is well over its lifetime now, pretty near 30 years it's been in the ground," he said. Lennie said the NEB should determine if parts of the pipeline should be replaced instead of patched. "It is the responsibility of the National Energy Board to really investigate," he said. "When would they be able to even consider changing that pipeline if there is going to be too much patching?" White said it was unclear when the results of the investigation will be available. "We will do everything that expected of us and when required of us by regulators, but we will also do our own investigation and engage fully with all parties that require this of us to fully determine what the cause is," he said.
|
