Pipeline shutdown at Norman Wells
Riverbank stability concerns cause precautionary closure: Enbridge
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Monday, November 28, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The Norman Wells pipeline has been temporarily shut down because of riverbank slope stability concerns near the oil pipeline's right-of-way.
Kilometer 391 on Enbridge's pipeline where between 60 to 70 cubic meters of contaminated soil was found. The site is approximatey 120 km west of Fort Simpson. - 2013 photo courtesy of Enbridge Pipelines Inc. |
On Nov. 22, Enbridge Pipelines Inc. contacted Liidlii Kue First Nation to inform them of the shutdown. The following day, Suzanne Wilton, senior communications advisor for the company, stated in an e-mail to News/North the entire pipeline has been shut down.
Wilton said the area of concern is approximately 10 kilometres east of Fort Simpson.
"Protecting the Mackenzie River and surrounding environment is our top priority and recent changes along the south slope prompted this preventative action," she stated.
"The pipeline remains safe and our preventative maintenance and monitoring program has worked as it should - alerting us to the changing conditions on the slope and the need to take action to ensure the continued safety of the pipeline."
Enbridge employees are doing daily visual inspections of the area in question and are collecting data in order to monitor any further slope movement.
Although a timeline for the shutdown is not available, Wilton said the company's next steps will be informed by the data they collect.
Liidlii Kue First Nation Chief Jerry Antoine says the most important step is to ensure the safety of the water in the Mackenzie River.
"Water is our priority. The pipeline is upriver from our community and the municipality here also has an intake pipe that takes water from the river," Antoine pointed out.
"Right away, what comes to mind is the safety of the water - that's our (main) concern."
Liidlii Kue First Nation wants to be directly involved in the steps Enbridge takes and is looking to put the traditional knowledge of its membership to use by having members involved in Enbridge's response, he added.
Additionally, the band's business arm, Nogha Enterprises, is pursuing necessary safety certification in order to be able to contract its services to Enbridge.
That's tied to the effort the band is making to prepare itself in order to be able to respond effectively to future emergencies
"That way, we can protect the land and also the safety of the people," Antoine said. "This is our land, and we have to be involved."
Recently, band members and councillors have been reporting erosion along the banks of the Mackenzie River, Antoine said, although the area of concern to Enbridge hadn't been among those reports.
On Oct. 4, the band met with representatives from Enbridge and the National Energy Board to discuss the issue of erosion and inform them of the potential for ground slumping.
Dean Holman, lands and resource manager for Liidlii Kue First Nation, said the band has also been bringing its concerns to the various monitoring groups and stewardship programs it is involved with, such as the Aboriginal Aquatic Resources and Oceans Management Program.
"There is evidence of erosion and landslides within the vicinity of (the pipeline) area on the Mackenzie River," Holman said.
According to documents on Enbridge's website, the Norman Wells pipeline includes slope monitoring equipment along the pipeline's route in order to ensure permafrost stability. Additional information on Enbridge's erosion control measures was not available at press time.
The Norman Wells pipeline, also known as Line 21, is 869 kilometres long and runs from Norman Wells to Zama, Alta. It has a capacity of 50,000 barrels of oil per day.
In May 2011, the pipeline spilled roughly 55 kilometres south of Wrigley after a small hole released between 700 and 1,500 barrels of crude oil.
