Trans Mountain performs aerial surveillance to monitor for geotechnical events – such as landslides, hydrological (stream or river crossings) or third-party activity at least once a month for every section of the route. Additionally, on-ground surveys of all water crossings take place on a regularly scheduled basis.
Trans Mountain maintains a public awareness program responsible for communicating pipeline safety and damage prevention information to four distinct stakeholder groups:
- Affected Public: landowners and residents living and working within 0.2 km either side of the pipeline
- Contractors/Excavators: anyone who is involved in ground disturbance activities within communities near Trans Mountain operations
- Emergency Responders: police, fire and ambulance
- Elected Officials and Government Employees
The program educates stakeholder groups about local One Call Centres and the “Call Before You Dig” programs in BC and Alberta. These initiatives have both been developed to prevent damage to underground infrastructure occurring from contractors or local residents digging without knowing what lies below.
More about Canadian Public Awareness and Pipeline Safety efforts at: www.kindermorgan.com/pipelinesafety
Affected Public
Trans Mountain is committed to open and transparent communication with those who work and live near the pipeline and system facilities. Methods include:
- Annual Landowner Packages: Between November and June each year, landowner packages are distributed to landowners and neighbours whose property is next to the Trans Mountain Pipeline. These packages contain important safety information, and promote the Call Before You Dig program.
- Biennial Open House: Hosted at the Burnaby Terminal, members of the local community are invited to tour Trans Mountain’s facilities and meet local staff members
- Community Awareness Mailings: On a three-year cycle, mailings are sent to those who work or live within 0.2 kilometres of either side of the pipeline to advise of operations and recommended actions in the event of a pipeline emergency
- Biannual Community Relations Newsletter: Delivered to connect with those in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley about our operations. To sign up for the newsletter, email [email protected]
Contractors/Excavators
Educating those who work near pipelines is an important part of damage prevention. Any ground disturbance work within 30 metres of the pipeline requires Trans Mountain's written permission. Trans Mountain uses various means to educate contractors and excavators about working safely near the pipeline, including:
- Tradeshows targeted for the ground disturbance community
- Digsafe Seminars hosted by the BC Common Ground Alliance
- Contractor Breakfasts
- Damage Prevention Presentations
Read more on damage prevention.
Emergency Responders
Working with local emergency responders is critical to an effective emergency response program. Trans Mountain uses the Incident Command System (ICS) for emergency response. This is a systematic tool with set roles and responsibilities for multiple agencies to use when responding to an emergency. Trans Mountain invites local emergency responders to participate in our exercises that are held in communities along the system each year.
Given the diverse terrain that Trans Mountain traverses, a high importance is placed on practicing emergency response deployments for all weather conditions, which includes avalanche training as well as ice and river equipment deployments. Each scenario is based on a real-life situation designed to test capabilities and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Trans Mountain also connects with Emergency Responders in these other ways:
- CAER presentations: provided to local responders, these presentations cover information related to product characteristics, an overview of ICS, as well as damage prevention information
- Responder Newsletter: produced quarterly this newsletter provides important safety information for responding to a pipeline emergency
- Tradeshows targeted to the emergency response community
- Annual mailings
Public Officials
The Trans Mountain External Relations department builds positive working relationships with elected and government officials throughout the municipalities and regional districts where the pipeline operates. Regular communiqués, brochures, and operational updates are used to keep provincial and federal government officials informed.