Hamilton crisscrossed by more than a dozen pipelines

More than a dozen major oil and gas pipelines runthrough Hamilton, several of them more than a half-century old.

Released publicly for the first time, a city-produced map reveals a network of pipelines that crisscross Hamiltons rural areas andcourse beneathpopulated neighbourhoods and the citys industrial north end.

But despite the factstaff have identified where the pipelines lie, the citydoesn'thave comprehensive information on the ages of the linesor the products that each one carries. Anew city task force has formed to uncoverthese answers and toassess pipeline issues that arise across Hamilton.

Thats part of the information that were gathering now, said GuyPaparella, the citys director of growth planning, who oversees the task force.

Paparellasadmission comes a day after a CBC News investigation showedthat Hamilton has experienced nine safety-related incidents on oil and gas pipelines since 2000 second in Ontario toSarnia, which recorded 10 over the same period.

The same investigation revealed that the rate of safety incidents on Canadian oil and gas pipelines doubled between 2000 and 2011, according to National Energy Board documents released under access to information laws.

• Related:Hamilton second in Ontario in pipeline safety incidents

The number of pipelines crossing through Hamilton comes as a surprise to Don McLean, a longtime environmentalist who has slammed proposed changes to anEnbridgepipeline that runs through the citys rural northwest.

Theres a whole string of questions that comes to mind when you discover you have pipelines running through your city that potentially could be a problem, said McLean, founder of Hamilton 350, a climate change advocacy group.

And probably eventually all them will be a problem. Nothing lasts forever."

• Related: Interactive pipeline map:Have there beenincidents near you?

Despite the lack of a comprehensive record ofpipelines running through Hamilton, Fire Chief RobSimondssays emergency crews"are well positioned to respond" to leaks or fires on oil and gas pipelines.

He said the fire department is in "regular discussions" with energy companies about emergency preparedness, and said he's confident that the fire department and the oil companies have proceduresin place to work together if a disaster were to occur.

"We have had those discussions and are feeling quite comfortable with that."

More than just Line 9

The issue of pipelines has attracted increasing attention in Hamilton amid protests about proposed changes to a large pipeline running through the city.In June, 18 protesters were arrested after staging a six-day occupation at anEnbridgepump station inWestover, a village in Hamiltons rural northwest, to condemn a proposal

The group was making a statement in opposition to the Edmonton-based energy giants proposal to reverse the flow of a segment of its 38-year-old Line 9 pipeline that runs fromWestoverto Montreal.

• Related:Line 9 pipeline hearing postponed after protests

However, the furor over Line 9 has glossed over the existence several additional pipelines cross through the area.Westoveris the terminus for three otherEnbridgepipelines, lines 7, 10 and 11, which run toSarnia,Kiantone, N.Y., andNanticoke, respectively.

Additionally, several other pipelines run through theFlamborougharea, including those belonging to Union Gas, Imperial Oil,TransCanadaandWaterdownfirm Sun-Canadian.

Based on where Hamilton is located, we have quite a number of pipelines.Guy Paparella, City of Hamilton

There are also a number of pipelines radiating from the citys waterfront.Segments of the Imperial Oil and Sun-Canadian pipelines spur off into Hamiltons industrial north end. And the Trans Northern pipeline spans from anEnbridgepipeline nearBinbrookdown to the lower city and terminates at the end of the Beach Strip.

Based on where Hamilton is located, we have quite a number of pipelines,Paparellaexplained. Were at the confluence of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. And if you want to go east, west, north and south from this area with a pipeline, you have to go through Hamilton.

While portions ofHamiltons pipeline infrastructure are less than a decade old, some of the lines were laid before the1960s.TransCanadasmain pipeline, segments of which run through densely populated areas of west Hamilton, dates from the50s, as does the Sun-Canadian pipeline which transports petroleum products fromSarniato Toronto and other cities in between.

The citys pipelines task force, formed in the early summer in response toEnbridgesLine 9 proposal,has turned our mind to the issue of developing an inventory ofoil and gas infrastructure in the city.

Paparellaassembled the unit, which consists of public works planners as well asSimonds,to examine proposals to build new pipelines in Hamilton or to make changes to existing ones.

Thats why we'relooking for that information now, he said. Weve got a couple of people sending letters out and looking for that information.

Pipeline watchers likePembinaInstitute associate NathanLemphershave raised concerns about North America's aging pipeline infrastructure.

The pipelines that are in the ground are getting older and in some cases there's more products flowing through them so you're going to see increasing incidents and increasing defects in those pipelines unless they're properly maintained,Lempherstold CBC News.

Emergency planning

The spectre of the city not knowing what runs through its pipelines worriesMcLean. He cited the 2007 fire at theBiedermanpesticide packaging plant inDundasas an example of why firstrespondersneed to know the contents of the citys oil and gas pipelines.

Firefighters used millions of litres of water to extinguish the blaze. The runoff, which contained poisonous chemicals, drained into Spencer Creek, killing thousands of fish and other wildlife.

In its testimony to the Ministry of the Environment, the company said the environmental catastrophe could have been prevented if firefightershad used fire retardant foam.

The fire department didnt have the information about what they were dealing with, said McLean, who followed the case closely.

In a Monday interview with CBC Hamilton, Simondsexpressed confidence in the fire departments ability to respond to large leaks or fires on the citys oil and gas pipelines.

I think were well prepared, saidSimonds. We work very well with our provincial partners at the Ministry of the Environment to address any situation... and have processes in place to find out the product that would be in the pipe at the time of the emergency.

He said the fire department regularly consults with energy companies about how to respond to a crisis if one were to occur, and is currently developing an appendix to the citys emergency response plan that addresses pipelines specifically.

Simondssays the energy companies have been very cooperative in providing the city with information about their pipelines and have shown a strong investment in safety.

When were having those discussions, never do I sense any ambivalence on their part to that commitment.

Industry officials havedefended their safety records, and say they have sophisticated safeguards in place to prevent catastrophic spills and explosions, and to minimize the impact of accidents when they do occur.

Brenda Kenny, president of the Canadian Energy Pipelines Association, which represents major oil and gas companies, says theres an industry-wide commitment to get to zero incidents.

We're driving that out very hard through our risk-based management approach at the industry level that involves a lot of best practices, integrity, management, technology and these indicators, she told CBC News.

The Canadian pipeline industry is one of the very safest in the world,second to none in terms of actual results.