The Red Deer River Oil Spill Digest

Posted on: Friday, June 29, 2012
Posted at: 12:48 AM

This is a summary of the first 15 updates pertaining to the Red Deer River oil spill…

Update #1

• Tracey McCrimmon, executive director of the Sundre Petroleum Operators Group, a community group that works with the industry, said people phoned in reports Thursday night of smelling rotten eggs.   [ Article ]
• On June 7th, 2012, a failure occurred along Plains Midstream Canada’s Rangeland Pipeline and leaked into Jackson Creek, a tributary of the Red Deer River near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Article ]
• An estimated 1,000 to 3,000 barrels of oil leaked into Jackson Creek — a part of the Red Deer River system.   [ Video ]
• The oil leak is approximately 75 kilometres upstream from Red Deer, Alberta — the third largest city in the province of Alberta.   [ Article ]
• At least 475,000 litres of crude oil are now in the Alberta river system.   [ Article ]
• Containment booms have been set up at Gleniffer Lake by Dickson Dam to sop up crude oil flowing in the swollen Red Deer River.   [ Article ]
• Alberta Environment says, “Water intakes have been shut at all facilities downstream and we are encouraging people to shut-in their water and not draw from the river at this time.”   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada is now trucking in fresh water for people living in the area.   [ Article ]
• Premier Alison Redford says, “It is unfortunate when these events happen. We are fortunate in this province that they don’t happen very often, and we can have some confidence that when they do happen, we have plans in place to deal with them.”   [ Article ]

Update #2

• Plains Midstream Canada has shut down 10 kilometres of the Rangeland Pipeline System.   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada says, “The release is contained within the two booms on the Gleniffer Reservoir.”   [ PDF ]
• Plains Midstream Canada is now blogging its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]
• Alison Redford says the Rangeland Pipeline incident will be investigated and the ministers of energy and environment will review the findings.   [ Article ]
• The oil has pooled away from the Red Deer River near Sundre, Alberta and a film of black ooze has coated grass along shoreline.   [ Article ]

Update #3

• With support from the Sundre Petroleum Operators Group and Red Deer County, Plains Midstream Canada continues to communicate with local landowners.   [ Article ]
• An information centre has been established at the James River Community Hall. Plains Midstream Canada, Sundre Petroleum Operators Group, Energy Resources Conservation Board and Alberta Health Services are on-site to address questions and provide information on response efforts, environmental protection, water quality and water delivery options.   [ Article ]
• Mike Hudema, of Greenpeace Canada, asks, “How many times does this have to happen before governments stop accepting the company’s assurances that they are taking environmental protection seriously?”   [ Article ]
• “We need a full public review of pipeline safety especially before new pipelines carrying even more corrosive substances are approved,” Mike Hudema said.   [ Article ]
• Critics, including Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for Saanich — Gulf Islands, are calling for an increase in pipeline inspections.   [ Article ]
• Stephen Bart, Vice President of Crude Oil Operations, says, “We want to assure you that Plains Midstream Canada are deploying our resources to contain the release, protect the environment and respond to your concerns. These efforts will continue until the release clean up is complete and the land and water are restored.”   [ Article ]
• This the second spill in roughly a year that Plains Midstream Canada has had to deal with after its Rainbow pipeline cracked near Peace River, Alberta, spilling 28,000 barrels. Bob Curran, of the Energy Resources Conservation Board, says two incidents in a row does not necessarily raise any flags.   [ Article ]
• The Province of Alberta issued an emergency alert for Mountain View and Red Deer counties, warning people not to touch, drink, swim or boat on the waterways affected by the spill.   [ Article ]
• “Red Deer’s water supply remains unaffected and we do not anticipate contamination of our water supply,” said Ron Wardner, the town’s construction and maintenance superintendent.   [ Article ]

Update #4

• Gord and Bonnie Johnston have abandoned their 23-hectare rural property after it was soaked with oil last week, following the Rangeland Pipeline System failure.   [ Article ]
• Bruce Beattie, the Reeve of Mountain View County, one of the affected communities, says, “There have been briefings but we need straight answers from everybody in one room.”   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]
• Plains Midstream Canada says that the Rangeland Pipeline was not flowing at the time of the release and the volume of the oil spill is relatively small.   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada says it will ensure that the impact to water and land is completely cleaned up. And that they will address any impacts this might have with landowners.   [ Article ]
• Until further notice, the marina at Gleniffer Lake Resort has been closed, as have a number of campsites in the area.   [ Article ]

Update #5

• Plains Midstream Canada still continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]
• Plains Midstream Canada says most of the Red Deer River oil spill has been been contained.   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada has scheduled a news conference for tomorrow (Tuesday, June 12th) @ 1PM to update the public on the situation.   [ Article ]
• Fears are growing regarding the long-term damage to one of Province of Alberta’s premier sport-fishing destinations.   [ Article ]
• The actual environmental impact of the Red Deer River oil spill will remain to be seen, and the same can be said for the political impact.   [ Article ]
• Kelsey Kure, who lives on about 2 kilometres of waterfront along the affected part of the Red Deer River, says, “There has to be a study done to determine the effects of this. You can’t just go on pretending that nothing happened, that there are no impacts.”   [ Article ]

Update #6

• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]
• Plains Midstream Canada says water quality samples have almost all been normal.   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada says residents impacted by the Red Deer River oil spill will be compensated.   [ Article ]
• Tom Siddon, a cabinet minister in Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government, says the Red Deer River “oil spill is going to cause Tories everywhere to think twice.”   [ Article ]
• The Rangeland Pipeline System failure raises questions about whether our regulations governing pipelines are adequate or if they are being enforced.   [ Article ]
• Bob Curran, of the Energy Resources Conservation Board, says, “We know when a pipeline was licensed or constructed. But the age is not our focus, because our regulations require mitigation and maintenance programs that focus on pipeline integrity, more so than age. In addition, sections of pipelines are replaced as needed as part of ongoing maintenance. As a result, we do not track how much is replaced year over year either.”   [ Article ]
• The Energy Resources Conservation Board cannot issue fines, but it can ban offending companies from operating in the Province of Alberta or force specific facilities to be shut down.   [ Article ]

Update #7

• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]
• Red Deer River oil spill cleanup activities were suspended because of heavy rain, high winds and lightning.   [ Article ]
• Recreational users and people who own lots along Gleniffer Lake will be spending another weekend out of the water.   [ Article ]
• Diane Bender, a realtor who also manages rentals at the Gleniffer Lake Resort & Country Club, is worried about her livelihood.   [ Article ]
• The Province of Alberta is being pressured to include pipeline leaks in its environmental monitoring plan.   [ Article ]

Update #8

• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]
• People with homes on Gleniffer Lake say Plains Midstream Canada is still not able to say for sure how long the cleanup will take.   [ Article ]
• People with homes, property and livelihood impacted by the Rangeland Pipeline System failure say Plains Midstream Canada has not told them when they will be compensated.   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada held open houses for residents of the Gleniffer Lake Resort and the Carefree Resort on Saturday, June 16th. There were no media present at these open houses, as they were deemed private.   [ Article ]
• Over the weekend, the Province of Alberta had to remind people to stay off Gleniffer Lake.   [ Article ]

Update #9

• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]
• Greenpeace Canada was denied the space to place an ad on a Pattison Outdoor billboard in downtown Edmonton, AB. The ad — a response to the recent Rangeland Pipeline System failure, near Sundre, AB — was designed to draw attention to the seriousness of oil spills and to encourage Premier Alison Redford to appoint an independent body to investigate the safety of the 400,000 kilometres of pipeline that criss-cross the Province of Alberta.   [ Article ]

Update #10

• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]
• A third boom is now being used on the at Gleniffer Reservoir.   [ Article ]
• If you raise cattle along the banks of the Red Deer River or sport-fish one of its tributaries or own a cottage on the aspen-lined shores of Gleniffer Lake, your life and livelihood could be harmed for months.   [ Article ]
• If you raise cattle along the banks of the Red Deer River or sport-fish one of its tributaries or own a cottage on the aspen-lined shores of Gleniffer Lake, your life and livelihood could be harmed for months.   [ Article ]
• One litre of spilled oil can contaminate a million litres of groundwater.   [ Article ]

Update #11

• Apparently, the Rangeland Pipeline System failure — initially believed to have originated from Jackson Creek — has now been determined to have actually come from under the Red Deer River.   [ Article ]
• Gerard Aldridge, of the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance says, “It is too early to say what the longer-term impact might be on drinking water and aquatic ecosystems.”   [ Article ]
• Premier Alison Redford says she is not opposed to a comprehensive review of the 400,000 kilometres of pipeline that criss-cross the Province of Alberta.   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada will be holding a public forum on Thursday, June 21st at 6PM at the James River Community Hall north of Sundre, Alberta.   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]

Update #12

• The Energy Resources Conservation Board says it has inspected the area for other oil pipeline or any other oil releases and has found that there are no further releases.   [ Article ]
• The Alberta Surface Rights Group — a landowners lobby group, representing about 1,400 small farms — ran an ad in several Alberta newspapers demanding an independent review of pipeline safety.   [ Article ]
• The Pembina Institute says the aftermath of three pipeline spills is enough to call the first major review of the integrity of the Province of Alberta’s extensive pipeline network in seven years.   [ Article ]
• $75M in damages sought in a class-action lawsuit filed against Plains Midstream Canada.   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]

Update #13

• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]
• Current regulations require pipeline companies to conduct reviews of pipelines that cross waterways just once per year.   [ Article ]
• Environmentalists, landowners and labour groups are pushing the Alberta government to investigate oil and gas pipeline safety with an ad campaign.   [ Article ]
• Groups that are supporting the ad campaign include the Alberta Surface Rights Group, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, Alberta Wilderness Association, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Citizens for Responsible Development, Council of Canadians, Friends of Lily Lake, Greenpeace Canada, Keepers of the Athabasca, National Farmers Union, Sierra Club Prairie Chapter, Three Creeks Resident’s Group, Warburg Pempina Surface Rights Group, Water Matters and the West Athabasca Watershed Bio Regional Society.   [ Article ]

Update #14

• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]
• Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resources Development has compiled into a water quality analysis report. According to the report, hydrocarbon levels in the Red Deer River and the Gleniffer Lake up to containment at Gleniffer Reservoir are trending downward.   [ Report (PDF) ]
• Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development will continue to oversee monitoring and sampling work by the company until provincial environmental standards are met.   [ Statement ]

Update #15

• Gleniffer Lake reopens, although cleanup of the shoreline is not yet finished, Alberta Environment said the water quality is within provincial standards and does not pose a risk to human health.   [ Article ]
• While shoreline fishing is allowed, the Province of Alberta does not recommend people consume the fish at this time.   [ Article ]
• Cleanup along the shores of the Red Deer River up to the point of the Rangeland Pipeline release site near Sundre, AB is ongoing.   [ Article ]
• Residents are advised to continue using caution when accessing the Red Deer River shoreline near the Rangeland Pipeline release site as cleanup will be ongoing until provincial standards are met.   [ Article ]
• Plains Midstream Canada says that there is a possibility of slight increases in hydrocarbon detection once the lake is reopened to boat traffic, as fuel and other hydrocarbon-based fluids are often inadvertently introduced by boaters.   [ Statement (PDF) ]
• Plains Midstream Canada continues to blog its cleanup efforts surrounding the Rangeland Pipeline System failure near Sundre, Alberta.   [ Web Updates ]

FYI:

• The Rangeland Pipeline System is made up of approximately 1285 kilometres of gathering and trunk pipelines.   [ Link ]
• The majority of the Rangeland Pipeline System is approximately 50 years old.   [ Link ]
• According to Google Maps, Jackson Creek is approximately 50 km from the Gleniffer Reservoir — where the booms have been set up to contain the oil spill. That means, the oil spill has travelled 50 km along the Red Deer River.   [ Map ]

Red Deer River Oil Spill Updates:

• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #1
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #2
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #3
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #4
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #5
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #6
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #7
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #8
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #9
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #10
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #11
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #12
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #13
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #14
• The Red Deer River Oil Spill — Update #15

Required Reading:

• Rainbow Pipeline Leak — A Timeline
• Rainbow Pipeline Leak — A Timeline (Continued)
• Rainbow Pipeline Leak — Three Months Later…
• Rainbow Pipeline Leak — Six Months Later…
• Rainbow Pipeline Leak — Eight Months Later…
• Rainbow Pipeline Leak — 1 Year Later…

2012-06-29  »  somecanuckchick