If a spill of 200,000 to 250,000 litres of oil into a fast-moving potable (drinking) water supply in northern Saskatchewan raises all kinds of damage to longer-term water quality and anxiety among potable water users, what are the implications of a possible major oil spill near a southeast Saskatchewan fresh water body?
That question was posed to the Ministry of the Economy’s Energy and Resources sector which resulted in a couple of responses.
There have been a number of pipeline and drilling site oil spills in the southeast over the past three decades that have been reported and mitigated with no major acreages being affected, at least in comparison with the effects felt by North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort when a Husky pipeline leaked it’s oil into the North Saskatchewan River.
But, spills can be significant and breakdowns of pipelines and flow lines have been registered on the Energy and Resources website since 1991.
“Our regulatory standards are consistent with other western Canadian jurisdictions. The ministry ensure the design, construction, testing, operation, maintenance and repairs of pipelines comply with applicable CSA specifications,” said Cole Goertz, a spokesman for the Ministry of the Economy in an email response to questions from the Mercury.
The construction and operations are governed by the Pipelines Act of 1998 and Pipeline Regulations posted in 2000.
All pipeline operators are required to maintain emergency response plans that are updated regularly.
The operating companies are responsible for spill cleanup and remediation, regardless of who is at fault, and the Pipelines Act provides for a fine of up to $50,000 per offence and $50,000 per day if the offence continues, which would require a prosecution before a judge.
The Ministry can also amend, suspend or cancel a pipeline licence.
Goertz noted in a second email response that the Oil and Gas Conservation Act of 2012 stipulates that a well cannot be drilled closer than 125 metres to a water body.
He added, however, that as far as pipelines go, a steel pipeline that runs under a body of water must be of a thicker gauge than that of a typical steel pipeline and the right-of-way of a pipeline which can be around 16 metres, can be the minimum buffer between a water body and a pipeline. A pipeline may cross a small water body by means of trenching or by horizontal directional drilling through a larger body of water at depths appropriate to pipeline specifications set out by the CSA.
With all that being said, and written, the onus is on the pipeline companies and production companies to ensure their emergency responses to spills are timely, accurate and thorough.
