Trans Mountain pipeline at Blue River operational after faulty valves replaced
The Canada Energy Regulator granted a Leave To Open – a document declaring a pipeline safe to operate – for mainline piping along the Trans Mountain Pump Stations in Blue River, McMurphy, and Blackpool on March 28th. A November inspection of the Blue River station had revealed damage in four valves, some of which caused the welding around one valve to crack. The damage has since been resolved, according to documents reviewed by The Goat.
Under the Canada Energy Regulator Act, companies must file for a Leave To Open before a pipeline can operate. The Leave To Open process requires submitting results of pipeline inspections and pressure tests to the Regulator.According to documents Trans Mountain submitted as part of this process, three of the failed valves have since been replaced, while one has been repaired and tested for efficacy. The new and repaired valves were not tested on-site at the Blue River station, but they were successfully tested at the manufacturer’s facility, the test results say.
In an email to The Goat, Trans Mountain said the equipment was tested and inspected throughout several stages. Technicians discovered the valve damage during initial inspections and reported their findings to the Canada Energy Regulator, said the email.
Trans Mountain submitted its Leave to Open application, including test results from its new valves, on February 23. The Canada Energy Regulator approved their application roughly a month later. Valves will be inspected annually in adherence with the company’s integrity management program, according to the application.
The Blue River mainline piping was mechanically complete in late 2023, according to Trans Canada’s email. Their presence in the area will be smaller now that pipeline construction is complete, said the company.
“While pipeline construction is complete, smaller work crews will return to finish right-of-way cleanup and reclamation,” the email reads. “Trans Mountain has been in the community for more than 70 years with our existing pipeline system. We continue to live and work in the communities.”
The email also says Trans Mountain has External Relations and Indigenous Relations advisors who work with local communities and maintain the info@transmountain.com email, where anyone can contact with concerns.
In a phone call with The Goat, Thompson-Nicola Regional District representative Lee Onslow said she has not heard concerns from constituents regarding the pipeline.
“It seems it truly is part of the process that they need to follow in order to get the pipeline operational,” Onslow said when asked for comment on the Leave To Open. “I would assume that if they’re granted it, that they probably went through the safety procedures that are required.”
Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Rocky Mountain Goat
