Our safety program is designed to ensure the continued safe operations of our pipelines. This includes routine vegetation management on the right-of-way. A clear and safe right-of-way has visible marking signage and is free of tall-growing vegetation and obstructions. It provides access for our crews to conduct pipeline maintenance, inspections and emergency response.
In 2012, we completed vegetation management on portions of the existing Trans Mountain Pipeline right-of-way in Edmonton, Alberta, including removing brush on the right-of-way in the naturalized areas of Whitemud Creek, North Saskatchewan River Valley and part of the right-of-way from the west bank of North Saskatchewan River Valley to Wolf Willow Crescent NW. This work was followed by restoration and appropriate replanting on portions of the right-of-way in 2013 and 2014.
We are currently working on the next stage of the vegetation management program on the existing right-of-way where we identified some large trees and shrubs that are too close to the pipeline. Large vegetation can interfere with safe operations and cause operational and safety risks. This creates concerns for the reasons mentioned to us and our regulator, the National Energy Board. To address the vegetation that posed a safety concern, we completed selective tree removal in the community of Riverbend in 2016. We have also commenced vegetation management activities in the community of Westridge Wolf Willow (see ‘Proposed scope and phased approach’ below).
We are committed to continuing with our vegetation management and meeting our regulatory requirements. It is our goal to complete the necessary work while minimizing impacts to the community and preserving the local landscape as much as possible.
If you have any questions about this project, please find our contact information in the ‘Contacts’ tab below.
