Gas plant's future being reviewed

Okotoks Western Wheel
February 21, 2007
by Jim Dilay CONTRIBUTOR

The Turner Valley Gas Plant Resolution Advisory Panel has undertaken a challenging task with close to 20 years of studies, development plans and changing environmental standards to review since the Alberta government acquired the historic site.
The panel was established to review the Alberta government's efforts to clean up the Turner Valley Gas Plant and provide advice on the future of the historic site.
Panel members represent the local communities and stakeholder groups. We've met five times since May 2006 to scope out a work plan and get underway. Panel meetings are open to the public and notice of the meetings are typically advertised in the local media.
As part of our mandate, the panel has set out four objectives that focus our discussions at the meetings which I chair:
1. To review enviromental studies and remediation reports that have been done since 1988 when the govenment took over the site and evaluate proposed resolution alternatives for the site;
2. To review and evaluate the historic site Development Plan (for more information, www.turnervalley.gov.ab.ca);
3. To liaise with affected communities and undertake appropriate stakeholder consultation; and
4. To make a final recommendation to the Minister of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture.
Since it was established, the panel has reviewed the background of the historic site project and the Alberta government's involvement, the reclamation work completed to date, the reports available to the members, and the current flood prevention/containment system project underway at the gas plant site.
The panel has also made a number of site visits to review the flood protection work and to view the ongoing construction of the $5-million containment and water treatment system, designed to prevent hydrocarbons and other contaminants from flowing off site and into the river.
Construction of the water treatment facility and site protection wall is complete. The river bank protection system is also on track and scheduled for completion in March 2007, before any new threat of riverbank erosion arises.
We would like to remind residents downstream of the plant that Alberta Environment will bring in its equipment to test any water well at the owner's request. All Alberta government tests to date show no detectible water contaimination.
The panel has begun a systematic review of the risk management approach and the mitigration work undertaken to date in consultation with Alberta Environment, Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation, and the Calgary Health Region.
Most recently, the Minister of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture accepted our recommentation and appointed Dr. Wilfried Staudt as an environmental expert to the panel.
Dr. Staudt attended our Jan. 17 meeting and we feel his appointment will assist us in our mandate and challenging task ahead.
The next meeting of the panel will be held on March 21 at 9 a.m. in Turner Valley.

Jim Dilay, is chair of the Resolution Advisory Panel