Shouldn’t planning come first?

Trans Mountain had a groundbreaking ceremony for construction of the Expansion Project July 27, 2018.

I learned of their pumping mud into Hopedale Slough January 21, 2023. That during active salmon spawning, and in a waterway federally listed as critical habitat for threatened Salish sucker. Also far from the first time this sort of thing has happened on the project.

Their construction progress report filed February 7 includes re the Hopedale Slough incident: “Plan is being developed to ensure monitoring at pump-off locations is completed as per the Trans Mountain Environmental Field Guide (EFG) for Pump-Off.”

4-1/2 years after starting construction, only now they’re making a plan to ensure monitoring?

More fun facts:

– in the construction progress report Trans Mountain list the incident as happening January 22 but photos were posted to Facebook by a Chilliwack resident at 10:38 am January 21. That resident said they had reported it to the RAPP line. My photo seen in this post was taken at 4:02 pm on the 21st. You can normally see the bottom of the stream there.

– Trans Mountain claim that “Elevated levels [of turbidity] were observed however returned to within guidelines within 24hrs.” I suppose that statement might be true if you count the 24 hours from the afternoon of the 22nd when someone finally emerged from Trans Mountain’s fences to take some pictures.

Yet another incident that clearly demonstrates that protection of public interest as it relates to a healthy environment, and even protection of species of economic importance or species at risk, is failed by the ‘authorities’ we have in place.

Explore posts in the same categories: Energy, Environment, Politics

Tags: environment, species at risk, Trans Mountain, wild salmon

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