nasty, deadly pipelines

Coeur d Alene ID

Description

A Trans CANADA pipeline ruptured and exploded in North Bay, Ontario in the early 60’s and again, also in North Bay, Ontario in 1978. 1962: An explosion on a gas pipeline occurred on a lateral line on January 17, about 50 kilometers northwest of Edson, Alberta. 8 people were killed.[2][3] 1965: An explosion from a gas line destroyed several apartments in the LaSalle Heights Disaster in LaSalle, Quebec killing 28 people, the worst pipeline disaster in Canadian history. 1965: On October 12, an explosion & fire involved the Albert Gas Trunk Line LTD. near Sundre, Alberta, killing 2 pipeline workers.[4] 1969: On October 25, a faulty pipe exploded in a gas line beneath Malton, Ontario. One person died, about 20 were injured, 9 stores and several homes were destroyed. Gas in a dead end section of gas pipeline.[5] 1986: On October 27, a butane pipeline was hit by a pipeline crew, in Sarnia, Ontario; 4 workers were injured (one critically).[6] 1996: On April 15, a rupture, followed by an explosion and fire at 1829 EST, occurred on the TransCanada PipeLines Limited 864-millimetre (34-inch) natural gas pipeline, at Kilometre Post Mainline Valve 39-2 + 6.07 kilometres, 10 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, near the town of St. Norbert, Manitoba.[7] 1997: On April 30, a rupture occurred on the Westcoast Energy Inc. 219.1-millimetre (8-inch) outside diameter Monias pipeline at Mile Post 20, near Fort St. John, British Columbia. Approximately 85,000 cubic metres of sour natural gas was released and ignited.[8] 1997: On December 2, a rupture occurred at an area of external corrosion on the TransCanada PipeLines Limited 914-millimetre outside diameter Line 100-3 at main line valve 5-3 + 15.049 kilometres, near Cabri, Saskatchewan. Approximately 3 252 × 10^3 cubic metres of natural gas was released as a result of the rupture. The gas ignited immediately, resulting in damage to the surrounding soil and vegetation. The main fire self-extinguished within 20 minutes of the line break.[9] 1999: On May 20, Line 3 on the Enbridge Pipelines Inc. (Enbridge) pipeline system ruptured, releasing 3 123 cubic metres (m3) (20,600 barrels) of Cold Lake heavy crude oil, east of Regina, Saskatchewan. Approximately 3.6 hectares (ha) (8.8 acres) of farmland was affected by crude oil.[10] 2000: On December 28, a release of natural gas resulted in an explosion that destroyed the electrical and services building, heavily damaged the compressor building, and damaged the remaining buildings at the East Hereford compressor station, approximately 80 km SE of Magog, Quebec. Before the occurrence, the station had been shut down due to an unintentional manual initiation of the station's emergency shutdown system. Following the emergency shutdown of the compressor station, a maintenance person was sent to the station to reinitiate the electric motor-driven compressor unit. During the day, after repeatedly trying to get the station into the ready state mode, to return the station to normal pipeline operations, an explosion occurred. The on-site maintenance person was seriously injured.[11] 2001: On January 17, a rupture occurred on the Enbridge Pipelines Inc. 864-millimetre outside diameter Line 3/4 at Mile Post 109.42, 0.8 kilometres downstream of the Hardisty pump station near Hardisty, Alberta. The rupture occurred in a permanent slough that was fed by an underground spring. Although the line was shut down at the control centre in Edmonton, Alberta, within minutes of the rupture, the exact location of the rupture was not found until after 13 hours. Approximately 3800 cubic metres of crude oil was released and contained within a 2.7-hectare section. As of 01 May 2001, 3760 cubic metres of crude oil had been recovered.[12] 2001: On September 29, a rupture occurred on the Enbridge Pipelines Inc. 508-millimetreoutside diameter Line 10 at Mile Post 1885.64, near Binbrook, Ontario. Line 10 transports crude oil from Westover, Ontario, to Buffalo, New York, United States. The rupture occurred in an agricultural field planted with soybeans. Within eight minutes of the rupture, the control centre operator in Edmonton, Alberta, shut the line down and began to sectionalize it. Remedial action response teams contained the spill to two general areas, a natural swale running perpendicular to the pipeline and the pipeline trench. Approximately 95 cubic metres of crude oil were released, affecting a 0.67-hectaresection of land.[13] 2002: On April 14, a rupture occurred on the 914-millimetre-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline, at a zone of near-neutral (low) pH stress corrosion cracking, on Line 100-3of the TransCanada PipeLines, at main-line valve 31-3 + 5.539 kilometres, approximately two kilometres from the village of Brookdale, Manitoba. Following the rupture, the sweet natural gas ignited. With the automatic closure of main-line valves upstream and downstream of the rupture site, the fire self-extinguished at 0230, on 15 April 2002. There were no injuries. As a precautionary measure, approximately 100 people were evacuated from the occurrence area within a four-kilometre radius, including the village of Brookdale, for a period of one day.[14] 2002: A refined product pipeline rupture near Saint-Clet, Quebec, on Dec 7, from Trans Northern Pipelines Inc. 273.1 mm diameter mainline kilometer post 63.57, estimated 32 cubic meters of low sulphur diesel released to area and drainage systems. Transportation Safety Board Investigation Report Number P02H0052. http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/pipeline/2002/p02h0052/p02h0052.asp 2003: A backhoe punctured a pipeline in Etobicoke, Ontario the resulting explosion killed 7 people 2005: On July 15, an employee of Terasen Pipelines (Trans Mountain) Inc. discovered crude oil on the pipeline right-of-way, on the north side of Ward Road, Abbotsford, British Columbia. Before the discovery, the company had been delivering crude oil out of the Sumas Tank Farm, when it received odour complaints from local residents. Approximately 210 cubic metres of crude oil was released into the surrounding area and made its way into Kilgard Creek. There were no injuries.[15] 2007: A crude oil pipeline owned and operated by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners was ruptured by an excavator digging a storm sewer trench in Burnaby, British Columbia.[16] 2007: On 15 April, a rupture occurred on Enbridge Pipelines’ 864-millimetre outside diameter Line 3 at Mile Post 506.2217 downstream of the Glenavon pump station near Glenavon, Saskatchewan. The rupture occurred in a wetland area of farmland. Approximately 990 cubic meters of crude oil were released, of which approximately 912 cubic meters were recovered. There were no injuries. The cause was determined to be corrosion cracking.[17] 2007: On July 24, the 610-millimetre (24-inch) Westridge Dock Transfer Line, owned by Trans Mountain Pipeline L.P. and operated by Kinder Morgan Canada Inc., was struck and punctured by a contractor's excavator bucket while the contractor was excavating a trench for a new storm sewer line along Inlet Drive in Burnaby, British Columbia. When the pipeline was punctured, approximately 234 cubic metres of crude oil was released, approximately 210 cubic metres of which was recovered. Crude oil flowed into Burrard Inlet Bay via the Burnaby storm sewer system. Eleven houses were sprayed with crude oil; many other residential properties required restoration and approximately 250 residents voluntarily left their homes. There were no explosions, fires, or injuries resulting from this occurrence; however, emergency workers and two firefighters responding to the incident were sprayed with crude oil. Two members of the public were also sprayed.[18] 2009: A July 20 Alberta pipeline explosion & fire involved a TransCanada Corporation natural gas pipeline. The explosion, which sent 50 meter flames into the air, destroyed a two-hectare wooded area. The NEB said the delay in releasing the report was caused by an "administrative error", when an employee left without transferring the file over. The Peace River Mainline pipeline, built in 1968, had ruptured six times and leaked on 17 occasions until 2014. The line ruptured in 2009 due to corrosion.[19] 2009: On 12 September 2009, TransCanada Corporation's Gas Control received notification, from the Englehart Fire Department through its Emergency Notification Line, of an explosion and fire south of its Compressor Station 107, located near Swastika, Ontario. At the time of the occurrence, TransCanada was transporting sweet natural gas. Escaping gas from a pipeline rupture had ignited, resulting in the explosion. A large crater was created and two sections of pipe broke from the system, with one section being ejected approximately 150 metres from the rupture site. There were no injuries.[20] 2009: On 26 September 2009, TransCanada Corporation's Line 100-1 ruptured, near Marten River, Ontario. At 1151, Gas Control at TransCanada's Calgary office became aware of this event when Main Line Valve 112-1, on the upstream side of Compressor Station 112, automatically shut off due to low pipeline pressure. At the time of the occurrence, TransCanada was transporting sweet natural gas. The escaping gas did not ignite. A large crater was created and pipe pieces were ejected from the failed pipeline section and spread around the occurrence site. There were no injuries.[21] 2009: On 29 September, an Enbridge crude oil pipeline, Line 2, leaked at Mile Post 474.7335, immediately downstream of the Odessa pump station near Odessa, Saskatchewan. The leak occurred at a crack within a shallow dent at the 6 o’clock position on the pipe. There were indications of gouging associated with the dent. The release occurred in a low lying, densely vegetated marsh. Approximately 175 cubic meters of crude oil was released, of which most was recovered. There were no injuries.[22] 2009: A refined product pipeline rupture near Farran's Point, Ontario on Ottawa Lateral, on October 5, from Trans Northern Pipelines Inc. system, unknown petroleum product, unknown quantity. Transportation Safety Board Report Number P09H0086. http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/pipeline/2009/p09h0086/p09h0086.asp[permanent dead link] 2010: A refined product pipeline rupture at Bronte Creek in Oakville, Ontario, detected on March 11, from Trans Northern Pipeline Inc. system, estimated 23,770 gallons of gasoline released to creek, soil and ground water. Transportation Safety Board Report Number P10H0021. http://www.tsp.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/pipeline/2010/p10h0021/p10h0021.asp[permanent dead link]