James River Bank Restoration Project:
The 2013 flooding conditions caused widespread damage across southern Alberta, altering the stream path of the James River near Sundre, Alberta. In response to the flooding, PMC proactively shut down and purged our pipelines running underneath the river as the water levels exceeded the acceptable threshold set in our progressive flood monitoring program.
The flooding eroded the river bank, which increased the risk for the river to one day expose our pipeline. To protect the banks from further erosion, PMC decided to proactively build up the river bank. As a preventative measure in 2015, PMC initiated a two year project to further protect our pipeline.
Below is an overview of the environmental activities and plans developed throughout the lifecycle of the project:
Pre-assessment: Completed to gauge the potential effects of the project on the rivers aquatic life and habitat and to document the river’s natural state for restoration after project completion.
Environmental Management Plan: Developed to identify sensitive areas and to define methods used to minimize any impact to the environment throughout the course of the project. This included an onsite environmental inspector who supported all construction activities to meet compliance with the Environmental Management Plan. The plan outlined the protection measures for fish and fish habitat and water quality monitoring activities.
Revegetation Plan: Followed to return the project area to its natural state and included planting trees, re-seeding native grass species and installing tree root balls into the river bank to provide desirable fish habitat.
The outcome was a successful project that re-established the desired cover and protection for the pipeline and restored the river bank. As well, the project incorporated enhancement components that improved fish habitat in the project area.
