CNRL has been ordered by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) to temporarily remove water from a small shallow lake on its Primrose site, where four separate bitumen releases were reported earlier this year and continue to seep to the surface.
The ESRD said the temporary containment measures in place will not be effective during the winter, if the lake freezes all the way to the bottom, and has authorized an Environmental Protection Order (EPO) in an attempt to ensure the lake isn't destroyed beyond repair.
“The ESRD has been considering an (EPO) for some time. These are circumstances where the EPO would be the most appropriate approach when there is an ongoing bitumen release and a compliance investigation underway,” said Trevor Gemmell, communications officer for Alberta ESRD.
“The EPO ensures the necessary work gets done in a timely matter. In conversations with CNRL, I think it was agreed by both parties that an EPO in this case would be appropriate.”
CNRL has said the removal of the water will allow the company access to a fissure at the bottom of the shallow body of water.
“We are in a phase in our restoration plan for the site where we require access to the fissure below the shallow water body,” wrote CNRL public affairs advisor Zoe Addington. “This (EPO) will allow us to isolate, excavate and contain the fissure below the water body. To facilitate this work the water from the area will be moved and stored near-by and returned the following year.”
The affected water body has a road cutting through it, splitting the body into two sections, one large and one small. The EPO will require CNRL to remove water from the larger side affected by the bitumen release and pump it across the road into the smaller body of water. The water that cannot be stored in the smaller body will be dispersed throughout the watershed, according to the ESRD.
“The water has to be removed so permanent containment measures can be put in place during the winter,” said Gemmell. “It is a matter of getting containment measures in place that will be effective in all seasons, in all weather conditions.”
CNRL added, “We are working diligently with the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and Alberta ESRD to investigate and remediate the affected locations and investigate the cause (of the bitumen releases).”
“The fact that the Alberta Government thinks it so simple to ‘store' the water until spring, baffles me,” said Crystal Lameman of Beaver Lake Cree Nation.
Groups, including members of Cold Lake First Nations, Beaver Lake Cree Nation and Greenpeace Canada have been critical of both CNRL and Alberta's regulators since the first reported bitumen leaks.
“The Alberta Government is once again keeping our community in the dark about the devastating impacts this spill is having and the fact that's it's become so bad they are being forced to drain a lake,” said Brian Grandbois, of Cold Lake First Nations.
The ESRD says it issues EPOs only when immediate action is required to prevent or stop adverse environmental effects.
According to Gemmell, CNRL has been cooperative throughout investigation.
“They are willing to do the work they need to do to install permanent containment measures but they require our authorization to undertake the necessary work. The EPO acts as both the requirement and authorization to move forward.”
“We deserve to be consulted on something that will fundamentally alter our traditional territory,” Grandbois added. “These spills continue to impact our territory, we deserve more information, we deserve action and Albertans deserve a public inquiry on the safety of in-situ technology so that more communities don't face the same dramatic impacts that we are.”
Mike Hudema, climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace Canada said, “For months, CNRL has claimed that its four ongoing tar sands spills are contained and under control. But now we find out that the company has been ordered to drain a lake in order to try to deal with the continuing disaster. It's crazy that it has come to this, and shows how hard it is to clean up tar sands incidents and the extreme nature of these spills.”
