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10TuesdayAugust272013HerearesometipstodrivesafePleasekeeptothespeedlimits.Schoolzonesare30kmhr.Drivewithcautioninschoolandneighbourhoodzones.Bewareatalltimesanddrivesafe.HerearesometipstokeepyousafewhenbikingRemembertowearafittinghelmet.Whencrossingroadslookbothways.Havereflectorsandlightssoothersmayseeyou.Makesureyourbrakesworktopreventaccidents.DidyouknowThatthreeoutoffourbikecrashesresultinsomekindofheadinjuryHelmetspreventpermanentbraindamageandevendeath.ItsBacktoschoolItsBacktoschoolSponsoredbyTownofFortSmithNochangeinongoingbitumenleaknearColdLakeFirstNationsourcessaytherearenowsixsitesoozingfromgroundByRENEFRANCOEURThingshavenotimprovedintheregionaroundColdLakeAlta.asbitumencontinuesbleedingintothesurroundingborealforestandwetlandsthreemonthsaftertherstleakattheinsituoilsandsoperationwasreported.TheleakisongoingthoughtheemergencyphaseoftheincidentwassaidtobeoveronJuly17whenbitumenoozingfromassureundergroundwascontained-notstopped-withinadouble-linedcontrolcurtaintheAlbertaEnergyRegulatorAERstatedonitsincidentreportingwebpage.FourseparateleaklocationsfromundergroundwellshavebeendetectedonthePrimroseandWolfLakesitesrunbyCanadianNaturalResourcesLimitedCNRLontheColdLakeAirWeaponsRangeinnortheasternAlbertaandtra-ditionalTreatyNo.6territorybelongingtoColdLakeFirstNationsCLFN.Therstonewasdiscov-eredinMayandthefourthattheendofJune.MembersoftheFirstNa-tionhavenowbeentoldbytheirownsourcesthatthereareactuallysixsitesofbitu-menemulsionseepingtothesurfacecouncillorandformerchiefWalterJanviertoldTheJournallastThursday.TheAERsmostrecentre-portonAug.16saidcleanupcontinuesonallfoursitesap-proximately45kmnorthwestofColdLake.Thisincludesskim-mingwaterbodiesvegetationcuttingandsoilremoval.Todatethetotalwildlifeimpactsbetweenallfoursiteshavebeenreportedwithtwobeavers31birds82amphib-iansand31smallmammalsdeceasedaccordingtotheregulator.CNRLhasinstalledfencesandwildlifedeterrentssuchasairhornsefgiesandkitestomanagethesituationandasubsurfaceinvestigationhasbeguntheAERsaid.AsofAug.16over1275cubicmetresofbitumenemul-sionhavebeenrecoveredfromallfoursitestheequivalentof8024barrelsor1.27millionlitresofoilwhile397cubicmetresofoilyvegetationhavebeenremovedfromoneoftheaffectedlocations.Intermsofimpactedsoils5096.66metrictonneshavebeenremovedfromthreeofthesites.Intotal20.7hectareshavebeenimpactedasreportedbytheAER.ThecompanysmostrecentofcialstatementwasonJuly31claimingCNRLstaffwerebusyremediatingthespills.Eachlocationhasbeense-curedandcleanuprecoveryandreclamationactivitiesarewellunderwaythecompanysaid.Thebitumenemulsiondoesnotposearisktohealthorhumansafety.Therateofbitumenemul-sionseepageinallfourloca-tionsnowtotalslessthan20barrelsperdayZoeAddingtonCNRLspublicaffairsadvisortoldTheJournalinanemaillastFriday.FirstNationswantanswersNikkiBoothacommuni-cationsrepresentativewithAlbertasEnvironmentandSustainableResourceDevel-opmentESRDdepartmentsaidtheyarecontinuingtoin-vestigatetheincident.Wehavebeendoingsoilandwatersampling.Obviouslywearealsoassessingaquaticvegetationandwerelookingattheimpactsonwildlife.IfwebelievealawwasbrokenfromwhatwedetermineinourinvestigationthencomplianceandenforcementactionwillensueBoothtoldTheJour-nallastweek.Howeveritstooearlytospeculateatthistimeifthatisthecase.MembersofColdLakeFirstNationareconcernedabouthowthiswillnegativelyimpacttheenvironmentandfuturehunt-inginthearea.ItaffectedourtreatyrighttohuntshandgatherinthatareaandrightnowtheaccessislimitedandourpeoplecantgohuntingorshwhichishavinganimpactonthosewhorelyonthelandJanviersaid.Janviertookahelicoptersurveyoftheareaandsaiditlookedjustawfulallthatoilontopofwater.Healsotookpartinatourthecompanyofferedafewweeksago.TheyonlyshowedustwooftheoriginalfoursitesThetwotheydidntshowuswereapparentlyinworseconditionsJanviersaid.AmeetingbetweentheAERandtheFirstNationistotakeplacelaterthisweekaccord-ingtoJanvier.Wehaveminimalinforma-tionrightnowhesaid.Wewanthardfacts.Thecompanysaytheyhaveitcontainedbutfromourperspectivethatsonlycontainedonthesurface.Wereconcernedaboutwhatshappeningbelow.Similarblowoutin2009ThePembinaInstituteaCanadianenvironmentalandsustainableenergythinktankhasbeencloselyfollowingtheincidentsinceithitthepublicradarinmidJuly.ThereisnoindicationastowhenthiswillstopChrisSeverson-BakermanagingdirectorattheinstitutetoldTheJournal.ThisisntthersttimetherehasbeenaproblematthePrim-rosesite.Therewasasimilarblowoutofbitumenin2009andresultsfromthatinvestigationprovedinconclusiveaccordingtoSeverson-Baker.CNRLpresidentStevenLautsaidthatthe2009blowoutwasaresultofawellintegrityissueandthathiscompanyiscondentthefournewleakswerealsocausedbyamechani-calfailureSeverson-Bakerwroteonlineinablogfortheinstitute.Webelievethebitumenemulsionneedsapathtogetpastorthroughthecaprock.Webelieveoldwellboresthathavepenetratedorintersectedthecaprockhavecreatedthatpath...Wecanxthesewellboresandincaseswherepo-tentialwellborefailuresarenotreparableoruntiltheyarerepairedsteamingstrategiescanbemodifiedtopreventthesetypesofincidentsfromoccurringAddingtonsaidinanemail.Butthisconclusionaccord-ingtoSeverson-Bakerdi-rectlycontradictstheofcialndingsofaninvestigationbytheAERthentheEnergyRe-sourcesConservationBoardintothecauseofthe2009in-cidenthecontinued.ThereportfromthatcasestatedTheERCBagreesthatthebitumenemulsionpathwaycannotbeidentiedwithcer-taintybasedontheavailabledata.HowevertheERCBisoftheviewthattheClearwatershalewaslikelybreachedbyhigh-pressuresteaminjectionnotrelatedtoawellboreissue.Thislinksthespillstothecompanyshigh-steampro-cessandweaknessesincaprockformation.ThereportalsogoesontorevealtheERCBfoundthatthesteamvolumeinjectedatthePrimroseEastsitewassignicantlyhigheronaporevolumebasisthaninpasthighpressurecyclicsteamstimula-tionHPCSSoperationsatthesiteandthatthislikelycontrib-utedtothebitumenemulsionsurfacerelease.HoweverCNRLwasstillgiventhegreenlighttocon-tinueoperationatthesitesafterthecleanupofthe2009spill.Themajorconcernisistheresomethingaboutthistechnol-ogythathascreatedthisprob-lemHowdidtheprojectdesignfailsosignicantly-especiallygiventhefactthattherewasaninvestigationintothecauseoftherstleakSeverson-Bakerasked.Thisshouldnthavehap-penedagain.Howdidtheprojectdesignfailsosig-nicantly-especiallygiventhefactthattherewasaninvestigationintothecauseoftherstleak...Thisshouldnthavehap-penedagain.ChrisSeverson-BakerPembinaInstituteEnvironmentOilSpill