Kinder Morgan Canada conducted an emergency response exercise on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Black Spruce Park, which is approximately five km north of Blue River.
The exercise covered land-based instruction on spill response equipment setup and deployment, followed by an on-water deployment of emergency response equipment on the North Thompson River.
The primary objective of the exercise was to test the suitability of this location as an emergency response staging area, which presents challenges, such as steep terrain, limited space and strong current.
Objectives also include training of Kinder Morgan Canada personnel on boom deployment, anchor setting and the setup and test of oil recovery equipment.
Equipment used in the drill included three jet boats, an oil spill containment and recovery trailer owned by Kinder Morgan Canada, approx. 90 m of river boom, skimmers, hoses, anchors and other equipment.
About 30 to 40 people participated in the drill, including staff and outside agencies. The outside agencies included Canim Lake Band, Simpcw First Nation, Blue River Fire Department and the Village of Valemount.