How far could oil travel if it leaked from the proposed Energy East pipeline? To help answer this question, Environmental Defence is working with the Bonnechere River Watershed Project, the Ottawa River Institute, Pipeline Awareness Renfrew County and Ecology Ottawa to map where oil from the Energy East pipeline would end up in the event of an oil spill on the Bonnechere and Ottawa Rivers.
“The risks from the Energy East pipeline that our rivers and our drinking water face is something that local residents need to know,” said Dale Marshall from Environmental Defence. “And yet TransCanada, the company proposing the project, has no idea and doesn’t intend to find out.”
The proposed Energy East pipeline from Alberta to New Brunswick will cross nearly 3,000 lakes, rivers, streams, and aquifers, including the Bonnechere River. To model the effect of a potential pipeline oil spill on the Bonnechere, 200 small wooden cards will be deposited in the river under the Const. Phillip Shrive Memorial Bridge on Hwy 17 near the site of the pipeline crossing, on World Environment Day, June 5th, at 3pm. These drift cards have identification numbers and instructions so that when people find them, they can go to a website to enter their location as well as see the locations where other cards were found. (The bridge is between O’Brien Road and Bruce Street at Renfrew.)
“The Bonnechere River is a vital part of our local heritage and community health and well-being. That’s why we want to partner to put the drift cards in the river, and look for them on our Celebrate Our Rivers paddle on June 11,” said Kathryn Lindsay, chair of the Bonnechere River Watershed Project.
“The Bonnechere River is part of the Ottawa River watershed, where over a million people get their drinking water and where countless species live – including several endangered species,” said Robb Barnes from Ecology Ottawa. “We want to protect the river system for its many inhabitants and for sustainable activities such as tourism and boating, rather than allow a pipeline to put it all at risk.”
Data from the project will be used to produce a report on the likely spill trajectory: how far and how quickly an oil spill will spread, and the locations where oil may accumulate. The local project is part of a larger one that includes similar drops of wooden cards in Quebec, New Brunswick, and northwestern Ontario near the Manitoba border.
About ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (www.environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is Canada’s most effective environmental action organization. We challenge, and inspire change in government, business and people to ensure a greener, healthier and prosperous life for all.
About BONNECHERE RIVER WATERSHED PROJECT (www.bonnechereriver.ca/): The BRWP is a registered charitable not-for-profit community-based, volunteer-driven organization working to engage with others to promote awareness and inspire stewardship actions for the Bonnechere River and its watershed.
About ECOLOGY OTTAWA (www.ecologyottawa.ca/): Ecology Ottawa is a not-for-profit, grassroots and volunteer-driven organization working to make Ottawa the green capital of Canada. We provide area residents with the information and tools they need to understand local environmental issues and promote environmental leadership.