Burnaby Terminal is the end point of the Trans Mountain Pipeline System. It is a distribution point for crude oil and refined products to local terminals – the Parkland refinery and the Westridge Marine Terminal. Burnaby Terminal currently has 13 tanks with a combined storage capacity of 1.6-m bbl with secondary and tertiary containment.
The tanks are painted green to minimize appearance on the landscape. Burnaby Terminal has odour mitigation, fire protection and emergency response equipment. The existing pipelines and piping include a 24-inch pipeline from Strathcona County, Alberta, a 24-inch pipeline to Westridge Marine Terminal, manifold and metering equipment, water treatment facilities and maintenance buildings and offices.
Burnaby Terminal Expansion
The Burnaby Terminal is being expanded within the existing property and construction activities began at the terminal in August 2019. One existing tank will be demolished and 14 new tanks, including secondary containment, will be built resulting in a total of 26 tanks. Additional changes will ensure continued facility safety and include full-surface fire-protection systems and odour abatement equipment on all new tanks. The expansion will also include an enhanced stormwater treatment system.
Public input will help determine the colour of the tanks – lighter colours reduce emissions.
Changes to the terminal will also include relocation of existing delivery pipelines at the terminal to accommodate the expansion and connection to the existing electrical grid.
Burnaby Terminal Expansion
The main hours of construction work at Burnaby Terminal are planned between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday to Friday and between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday. No Project work is planned on Sundays and statutory holidays.
Environmental Protection Plans
We have developed a Facilities Environmental Protection Plan that includes mitigation plans to help minimize impacts during construction at Burnaby Terminal. The plan identifies the mitigation measures that may be implemented during pre-construction, construction and post-construction activities associated with facility development, and meet Canada Energy Regulator (CER) Condition 78. The plan can be viewed here. Environmental protection measures cover a range of impacts, including:
Noise
Trans Mountain has developed a Noise Management Plan for construction at all our terminals and pump stations, in accordance with CER Condition 80. Noise modeling studies were completed to understand the impact of noise during construction and informed planned mitigation for the surrounding neighbourhood. The plan can be viewed here.
Mitigation to address construction noise may include equipment considerations, location and schedule considerations, and the installation of sound barriers as follows:
Equipment considerations: Ensuring tools and equipment being used are proportionate to the activity being conducted and maintained in good working order, installing and maintaining noise-suppression equipment (e.g., silencers or mufflers) on applicable construction machinery and vehicles.
Location and schedule considerations: Locating compressors and generators away from noise-sensitive locations, scheduling construction activities during non-noise-sensitive periods and complying with local applicable noise bylaws and approval conditions to the extent practicable.
Sound barriers: Installation of sound barriers at select locations within the terminal based on sound modelling and neighbourhood feedback. Learn more about sound barriers here.
Dust
Mitigation to address dust may include ensuring all construction vehicles abide by traffic control requirements to reduce dust, watering worksites and access roads to reduce or avoid dust when warranted and as approved by the environmental inspector, and increasing frequency of watering roads and sites during periods of high risk (e.g., high winds).
Wheel washing may also be implemented for equipment leaving the facility site and entering public roads, where warranted. As quickly as practical, crews will shovel and sweep clean any mud, soils debris or foreign material tracked onto roads from vehicles leaving the construction site.
Additional dust abatement measures (e.g., covering topsoil/root zone material windrows, applying a tackifier) will be implemented when needed and approved by an environmental inspector.
Light
Light mitigation, such as directed lighting, will be implemented where work is near public roads and/or residential areas. Light from headlights should prove negligible as most activities will occur during the day.
Vibration
To reduce noise impact, vibratory methods of pile installation will be used at the Burnaby Terminal portal for the Burnaby Mountain Tunnel. As much as possible, we will limit these activities to the daytime hours. Learn more about construction-related vibration here.
Wildlife
Tree removal and construction activities will be completed outside the migratory bird nesting period (March 19 to August 17), where feasible and as approved. Prior to site preparation and construction, an amphibian survey was conducted and salvage took place to ensure activities do not harm amphibians within the property.
Creek Relocations
Four non-fish bearing watercourses cross the Burnaby Terminal. Trans Mountain has received its approval under Section 11 of the Province of BC Water Sustainability Act to realign these watercourses to allow space for new tanks on-site. Trans Mountain will comply with required Provincial approval conditions. Learn more about these watercourses here.
Storm Water Management
Measures are in place to control erosion and prevent soil from entering downstream watercourses. In addition, should wind or water cause soil erosion during construction, we will deploy contractor equipment and personnel to control the erosion immediately. The Burnaby Terminal environmental inspector, in consultation with the construction manager and environmental manager, will determine appropriate procedures to address soil erosion or soil handling problems that may occur.
Traffic Management During Construction
With construction activities planned over approximately two years at the Burnaby Terminal, Trans Mountain’s Traffic Access and Control Management Plan (TACMP) aims to minimize disruption to neighbours. The TACMP outlines access to Burnaby Terminal as follows:
Burnaby Terminal main gate at the corner of Shellmont and Underhill Streets
An alternate access point
Trans Mountain investigated two options for alternate access. The first option investigated was from Gaglardi Way into the northeast corner of Burnaby Terminal. After further technical review and community input, we also looked at a second option – from Greystone Drive at the southwest corner of the terminal. The Greystone Drive alternative was deemed to be the best option and will provide access to the Burnaby Terminal just north of Shellmont Street.
This alternate access minimizes traffic impacts to the Burnaby Terminal main gate and reduces the traffic impact to any single residential neighbourhood.
Alternate access proposed for Burnaby Terminal
More than 30,000 truckloads of excavated material will remain on-site, substantially reducing construction-related truck traffic.
To further reduce traffic impacts, construction workers will arrive at the terminal by bus from a central parking area away from the site. The average daily Burnaby Terminal construction traffic is estimated at 18 bus trips, 150 light vehicle trips and 20 transport truckloads — rising to 24 bus trips, 200 light vehicle trips and 75 transport truckloads when construction activity peaks.
Our goal is to minimize any construction-related traffic in the area. We’re committed to communicating any material Project changes to affected stakeholders so safety, traffic pattern changes, local and regional traffic management plans, and emergency services requirements are well understood
Burnaby Terminal traffic flow during with Greystone Drive alternate access (subject to permits and approvals)
Reclamation Activities
In planning for construction at Burnaby Terminal, Trans Mountain minimized the amount of planned tree removal, particularly along the southern edge of its property where the Trans Mountain trail borders Shellmont Street. On completion of construction activities at Burnaby Terminal, Trans Mountain will reclaim all locations impacted by construction according to its Reclamation Management Plan and within appropriate environmental timeframes. Post installation monitoring will ensure reclamation activities are successful. Although specific reclamation activities at the terminal have yet to be confirmed, they will include:
Burnaby Terminal will be recontoured and reseeded; additional neighbourhood screening vegetation will be considered where practical, considering space and safety requirements
Construction techniques that minimize the footprint will be used to construct the pipeline crossing of Shellmont Street. Although temporary working space is required; it will be reclaimed to a similar condition as it is today, with the exception of a reduced 10 m wide permanent easement that will be reclaimed with appropriate height vegetation to comply with CER requirements.
Trans Mountain will seek input from the City of Burnaby, where applicable. New information will be shared as it becomes available.
