Turner Valley gas plant - River diversion approved
Submitted by Barb on Thu, 06/02/2005 - 14:04.
Environment
A plan to divert the Sheep River back to its former path and away from the Turner Valley Gas Plant has received approval from Oceans and Fisheries Canada.
Martin Dupuis, Alberta Infrastructure spokesperson, said the diversion plan had to be adjusted to receive federal and provincial approval, but could not disclose details of the plan, saying that the plan had to meet the governments’ environmental standards.
The approval allowed Alberta Infrastructure to publicly tender the project.
Companies interested in undertaking the diversion project have until Feb. 10 to enter a bid.
Officials have said they hope to have the river diverted by the spring.
The diversion work became a priority last fall when it was discovered that erosion from spring runoff had brought the banks of the Sheep River in contact with contaminants, mainly hydrocarbons, from the gas plant, which was decommissioned in 1985 and purchased by Alberta Community Development.
The erosion began with a flood in 1996, when the west bank of the river was approximately 50 metres from the gas plant site. Since then the banks have been retreating at a steady pace.
Last spring one to two metres were cut back, bringing the river up to the fence surrounding the site. Some residents have expressed concerns that the gas plant poses a public health risk.
However, since the discovery a monitoring system in the river has detected no measurable amounts of hydrocarbons, a rainbow-colored substance can be seen on the banks of the river.
Kelly Tuck, mayor of Turner Valley, said the hydrocarbons from the plant are visibly similar to what can be seen in lakes and rivers where motor boats are present.
She is confident the gas plant clean up will remove the environmental problems on the site.
“I was told they would do a superior job,” Tuck said. “I never had any doubt they would follow through.”
In the fall the province paid $260,000 to have mercury removed from four buildings and selected soil. The provincial government recently rededicated $1.5 million towards reclamation work at the site. An additional $400,000 is being sought to build a containment wall along the river and an advanced water monitoring system.
By Darlene Casten
Staff reporter
From, The OKOTOKS WESTERN WHEEL, January 28, 2004
Martin Dupuis, Alberta Infrastructure spokesperson, said the diversion plan had to be adjusted to receive federal and provincial approval, but could not disclose details of the plan, saying that the plan had to meet the governments’ environmental standards.
The approval allowed Alberta Infrastructure to publicly tender the project.
Companies interested in undertaking the diversion project have until Feb. 10 to enter a bid.
Officials have said they hope to have the river diverted by the spring.
The diversion work became a priority last fall when it was discovered that erosion from spring runoff had brought the banks of the Sheep River in contact with contaminants, mainly hydrocarbons, from the gas plant, which was decommissioned in 1985 and purchased by Alberta Community Development.
The erosion began with a flood in 1996, when the west bank of the river was approximately 50 metres from the gas plant site. Since then the banks have been retreating at a steady pace.
Last spring one to two metres were cut back, bringing the river up to the fence surrounding the site. Some residents have expressed concerns that the gas plant poses a public health risk.
However, since the discovery a monitoring system in the river has detected no measurable amounts of hydrocarbons, a rainbow-colored substance can be seen on the banks of the river.
Kelly Tuck, mayor of Turner Valley, said the hydrocarbons from the plant are visibly similar to what can be seen in lakes and rivers where motor boats are present.
She is confident the gas plant clean up will remove the environmental problems on the site.
“I was told they would do a superior job,” Tuck said. “I never had any doubt they would follow through.”
In the fall the province paid $260,000 to have mercury removed from four buildings and selected soil. The provincial government recently rededicated $1.5 million towards reclamation work at the site. An additional $400,000 is being sought to build a containment wall along the river and an advanced water monitoring system.
By Darlene Casten
Staff reporter
From, The OKOTOKS WESTERN WHEEL, January 28, 2004
Sponsored in part by:
Turner Valley Oil Field Society
This project was funded in part by the Alberta Historical Resources
Foundation.
This project has been made possible in part through a grant from the Museums Assistance Program, Department of Canadian Heritage.