Serving the communities of Rimbey, Bentley, Bluffton, Winfield, Alder Flats and Buck Lake
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013
www.rimbeyreview.com
Volume 15 Number 48
Gibson Energy continues to deal with old oil spill By Treena Mielke
Safety first: Rimbey elementary school received 10 CSA approved helmets thanks to a donation from Allen Adam, owner of Subway in Rimbey. The children who skate at an outdoor arena as part of their physical education program may borrow skates and helmets if necessary. In the back are Jaymee Lane, Jodi Bramfield, principal, Allen Adam, owner of the Rimbey Subway and Colton Adam. In the front are Rhett Bramfield, Kessler Beierbach and Carson Burchnall. Treena Mielke Photo
Gibson Energy is continuing to clean up affected soil caused by an oil spill occuring from a pipeline in the Rimbey area that has been shut-in since 1974. John Davis, senior advisor for corporate environmental for Gibson Energy said the clean up which has been ongoing for two years, is 90 per cent complete and should be wrapped up next spring. “There is no risk to the public and there is only one landowner whose land has been affected by the spill and we are working closely with him,” said Davis. The oil spill, which occurred east of Rimbey on TWN424 east of the Pembina transfer facility, was discovered by the landowner in 2009 when he noticed the smell of hydrocarbons while digging fence posts. Gibson Energy determined the spill was coming from one of their pipelines which had been abandoned as per regulations and not used since 1974.
Davis said there has been no record of a spill reported during the time that the pipeline was in operation (pre1974) and there is no way to determine exactly when it occurred. To determine the extent of the contamination Gibson Energy conducted a delineation program which included sampling the ground water and determining the best remediation procedures to follow. “It was determined that there was no contamination other than the soil,” Davis said. Cleanup began in 2011 and was restricted to the fall season in order to minimize incidental disturbance to productive agricultural land. Restoring sites which have been affected by oil spills from abandoned pipelines to an environmentally approved state is a required practice throughout Alberta, Davis said. “There are hundreds of thousands of kilometres of pipelines in a compliant state of abandonment across the province” he said.
Negotiations continue for new aging-in-place facility By Treena Mielke Progress is slow, but it appears in-roads are slowly being made regarding government funding for a new aging in place facility in Rimbey. Last Thursday, Paul McLauchlin, chairman of Rimoka Housing Foundation confirmed that negotiations with the Province had never stalled, but changes and revisions have been made. “The first proposal submitted early this year was not complete as it did not address the exist-
ing facility,” he said. McLauchlin confirmed that a new 40-bed facility is being looked at. The facility is to be built on land west of the Peter Lougheed Centre, which Ponoka County is in the process of purchasing. Renovations to the existing Parkland Manor are also being considered so the building can meet government standards and comfortably accommodate residents who are housed there. Presently the manor is in need of extensive
Henry’s Restaurant R esttauurantt
repair. “It is too small and the hallways are too narrow to accommodate stretchers,” McLauchlin said. “There is lots of work to be done on it.” He added that before any decisions are made, officials will chat with residents to ensure all their needs are met. “The foundation needs to meet with residents in the near future to discuss potential plans as this is their home,” he said. McLaughlin said he is pleased Doug
Griffiths, Minister of Municipal Affairs announced that provincial legislation stating a Ministerial order is necessary for housing foundations such as Rimoka to take on debt could be abolished by the end of the year. “That will make the process of accessing funding cleaner and more streamlined,” he said. The Rimoka Housing Foundation is responsible for lodge facilities in Rimbey and Ponoka and is supported by the funding municipalities of Ponoka County, Rimbey and Ponoka.
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