Alton natural gas storage project to resume construction near Stewiacke

Construction on theAlton natural gas storage project near Stewiacke is scheduled to resumelater this month, but members of theSipekne'katikFirst Nationare not ready to give up their fight against the venture.

AltaGas Ltd., the company behind the project,plans to move in heavy machinery like excavators this summer to beginwork onthe bank of the Shubenacadie River.

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Howeverthe company said in a statement thatthe actual process ofsolution miningreferred to as briningwill not begin until after the Nova Scotia Supreme Court hears an appeal by theSipekne'katikFirst Nation in August.

It's the brining process thatis at the root of the band's objections to the project. AltaGaswants to use water from the river to dissolve the underground salt formations to create three natural gas storage caverns.

"Our concerns with the project is brine going into the river and killing all the fish," said ChiefRufus Copage.

Salinity levels of river

The company maintained in its release that the water released back into the river will be within normal salinity levels, but the band worries about what will happen.

"The issue is that it's untried and untested, and we don't even know the impact,"saidSipekne'katikband solicitor James Michael.

"And by the time it gets released, the band fears that it may be too late, the river will suffer irreparable harm."

Green light from province

The project was originally put on hold in 2014as the province delayed issuing permits thensubsequently dealt with several appeals.

But in January 2016, the provincial governmentgave the companythe green light to proceed, sayingthat after 18 months AltaGashad satisfied its obligation to consult with the First Nations and enough modifications to the project were made.

Critical habitat proposal

Michael said the band is doing everything it can to protect the river.On June 28, the band submitted a proposal to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to have theShubenacadie River listed as critical habitat for salmon.

"The band is trying to exhaust all of its legal remedies," he said. "But Alton gas aside, it's trying to protect the resources in the river."