There are about 20 spills of oil from pipelines per year in Saskatchewan on aver
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Question
There are about 20 spills of oil from pipelines per year in Saskatchewan on average. A massive late July oil spill from a Husky Energy pipeline leaked oil into the North Saskatchewan River and contaminated the drinking water supply of an estimated 70.000 people. The break, which happened about 160 meters from the riverbank, spewed out about 225,000 liters of heavy crude oil and diluent with about 40 % of the liquid flowing into the river. As a junior engineer, you to take a look at the environmental footprint from this accident by using the knowledge you took from ENEV 223. What are the potential environmental impacts on site from this accident? You work for the City of North Battleford, which is 75 km downstream from the spill site. Do you think there is any impact to the drinking water? If yes, what is your remediation plan? Using what we learned in the class, how to monitor the cumulative effects from this accident?Explanation / Answer
Given,the oil that is spilled is categorized as heavy oil and 40% of 225,000lit ie.90,000lit of this oil has made into waters and the rest remains of the land.
1.The potential of environment impacts are described as under:-
a.A large volume of oil has got spilled in the nearby river North Saskatchewan river, the oil being heavy will tend to stay in the waters and not evaporate.The exposure of this oil to river plants and animals can be impactful as it is toxic,though it is not as impactful as lighter crudes,which are much more toxic.
b.The oil spilled may stick to the feathers and skin of aquatic animals and birds like otter and pelicans and can lead to hypothermia,as the ability to heat their bodies would be inhibited.
c.The river animals and plants could develope various diseases if they happen to come in contact with the spilled oil.
d.The oil spill would contaminate the river,which is the prime source of drinking waters for the forest animals and even humans.
e.A large volume of oil remains spilled on the land surface.The spilled oil would prevent water absorption by the soil.
f. The spilled oil could choke the plants and this would destroy grasslands or agricultural locations.
g.The oil could leak into ground water sources,contaminating the fresh water sources,which are used as drinking water.
2) Yes,the city of North Battleford,which lies 75Km downstream from the spill site might get affected.The spilled oil would flow through the river and reach the city.It may also leach into adjoining ground water sources and could contaminate drinking water sources.
The remediation plan includes the following :-
a.Berms and trenches must be constructed at the oil spill site to contain the oil spill and prevent it from leaching into soil and ground water sources.
b.Other possible techniques to recover land cover is to include mechanical removal of contaminated soil,use of sorbents and bioremediation.
c.Vaccums ,shoreline cleaning agents and skimmers must be used to remove the oil spilled over water sources like rivers.
d.wildlife rehabilitation centers must be deployed for affected animals and birds.
3.The cumulative effects from the accident must be done by deploying the necessary facilities and equipments(as mentioned above) at the accident site and a periodic monitoring of the recovery has to done.
In regions,where the potential harm caused by the oil spill is less than the potential harm caused by attempts to remove it,spilled petroleum products are allowed to degrade naturally and Technicians are required to monitor periodically to ensure there are no unforeseen threats to sensitive ecosystems and ground water supplies.
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