Turner Valley - Construction set to begin on gas plant containment system

Okotoks Western Wheel
September 20, 2006
Volume 31 No. 59

Project set to be completed by March 2007

By Pamela Roth
Staff Reporter

Construction is set to begin this month on the long-awaited $5 million containment wall and groundwater treatment
system at the Turner Valley Gas Plant.
The containment system, which is designed to prevent hydrocarbons at the site from entering the Sheep River, consists of a 650-metre erosion and protection wall that will divert ground water to a treatment plant before entering the river.
Although members of the appointed Turner Valley Gas Plant panel will be touring the site on Wednesday,
panel member Sharlene Brown is happy with what the province has done about the contaminated site thus far.
“As far as what I have seen, I think the containment system is going to do the job it’s supposed to do,” said Brown. “It should have been done a while ago, but now is the time when we have the money and the resources. I’m glad that it’s being done. What’s in the past is in the past; you can’t change it. Just as long as you are moving ahead.”
Its history dates back to 1914 when the Dingman #1 well struck natural gas near the town, but the gas plant has had a history of contamination, with the most recent beginning in 2003.
Alberta Environment has already removed contaminants such as asbestos, sulphur and mercury in part of a $2.5 million 10-year clean-up, however, hydrocarbons and low levels of methyl mercury were found in ground water near the gas plant just last year.
As a result, the gas plant closed its doors to the public in November 2005 to allow for the clean up of the site and construction of the containment system.
In order to prevent the contaminants from reaching the town’s water supply, the Sheep River was diverted away from the gas plant in 2004, creating a buffer zone between the site embankment and the river.
Severe flooding during the spring of 2005 destroyed part of the diversion, forcing crews to re-do the work once again in late fall.
In the spring of 2006, Alberta-based engineering companies MPE and Stantec designed the consolidated flood prevention and containment system and revealed the draft plans to the public during an open house.
Since then, the final touches to the design have been put into place.
During the construction process, the province maintains it will continue to collect water and soil samples during any activities that could potentially release hydrocarbons into the river. Once it’s complete in March 2007, Alberta Environment will continue to collect and test water and soil samples for a period of two years.