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Residents fear Line 9 leak would harm the creek by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff 9 | Wednesday, June 26, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com A handful of Oakville residents voiced concern about possible oil spills as Enbridge Inc. held an open house at the Trafalgar Road Croatian Parish Hall Thursday. The meeting focused on proposed changes Enbridge wants to make to its Line 9 pipeline. The 30-inch diameter pipeline currently transports crude oil from east to west from Montreal, Que to North Westover, Ont. The pipeline, which has been in place for nearly 40 years, crosses into Oakville in the area between Hwy. 407 and Lower Base Line and travels underneath Sixteen Mile Creek. "All we are looking to do is simply reverse the flow of the oil in that pipeline. It is 38 years old and when it was built 38 years ago, it was built to flow in a west to east direction. In the 1990s, it was changed to flow in an east-to-west direction and what we are doing is simply applying to have it reversed to the original flow," said Michelle Wasylyshen, Enbridge manager of public affairs for Ontario. "From a community standpoint, there really should be no impact to any community members. From an engineering standpoint, it really is a simple project in that it's the reversal of an existing pipeline that is already in the ground and has been operating qui- etly for the past 38 years." In addition to the flow reversal, the company is also seeking to increase the capacity of the pipeline from its current level of 240,000 barrels per day to 300,000 barrels per day. Enbridge also wants permission to ship some heavy crude, such as diluted bitumen, through the line, in addition to the light crude oil it more commonly transports. The expansion and reversal are being proposed to accommodate eastern Canadian refineries' requests for greater pipeline capacity and access to competitively priced North American crude oil. Wasylyshen said if the National Energy Board (NEB) grants the proposed changes, the pipeline would not need to be dug up and altered. Rather, only a small amount of work would be needed at some of the company's pumping stations. Despite the company's assurances the project is safe, some residents still harbour concerns that any kind of alternation to the pipeline's operations could result in a leak. Residents said such a leak, especially near Sixteen Mile Creek, could be environmentally devastating. "There is only one isolating valve on the whole pipe run all the way through Halton and I don't think that is sufficiently good protection. I think a company of this size can afford to put in more in the way of iso- lating valves, especially for the creeks," said Michael Lansdown, a former Oakville councillor. "The cost of a spill is vast. They are still cleaning up in Kalamazoo, following the massive rupture of an Enbridge pipeline in a river in 2010," said Lansdown. "They must have spent billions of dollars cleaning up there. So a few thousand dollars for some isolating valves is peanuts, in my opinion," Lansdown added. Other residents have yet to make up their mind about the project, but are seeking more information than what was provided at the Enbridge open house. "It's informative, but I think it would be really interesting if we had both sides of the story from other organizations," said resident Priyanka Sekhar. "It's interesting to see Enbridge's perspective. The pipeline already exists so it's not like they are digging something new, but I would like to know more about how it is going to impact the environment," said Sekhar. "For me, that's a really big thing. A lot of people live close by, there's a lot of construction of new houses going on up there. It's just a matter of if, and how, it is going to see Enbridge on p.13 Bronte Art Academy Canada Day Art Sale! For the month of July 25% off · All originals 50% off · All prints · Bronte photos & Post Cards available 77 Bronte Rd., Unit 102 B Oakville ON www.artgalaxy.com Artmart1950@gmail.com 905-469-9937 Brought to you by the merchants of Bronte Village BIA OAKVILLE'S CANADA DAY Free all day family festival: Call About Our Fun-Filled Summer Camps! Monday July 1, 2013 11:00am - 10:30pm Technical and creative excellence in a warm and friendly environment for students age 3 to adult. Fellow and Examiner with The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing Academy Director: Heidi Knapp Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park Bouncies & Fun for Kids Vendor Village Beer Garden Live Music Special Surprises! Currently Accepting Fall Registration! Fireworks at Dusk* *LIVE simulcast on 102.9 k-lite Ride the Shule Bus from the Burloak RioCAN Centre or ride your bike and leave it at the bike corral on site! How To Get To The Event? Classical Ballet · Modern Theatre Dance/Jazz Tap · Musical Theatre & Acting · Hip Hop 905.338.0210 785 Pacific Road, Unit 1, Oakville www.graceacademy.ca