As discussed below, it is not possible for a crude oil spill to threaten the viability of the Ogallala Aquifer. Rather, the impact of a potential oil spill on the aquifer would be limited to a very small area. TransCanada would be responsible for clean-up. Remediation would be required to meet state and federal standards and would ensure the protection of human health and the environment. In the highly unlikely event that groundwater wells were adversely impacted, TransCanada would be responsible for providing an alternative water supply.

Pipelines are safe and the chance of a significant spill is remote, yet TransCanada is ready to respond to limit volume and impacts

Pipelines are the safest, most reliable, economical and environmentally favorable way to transport oil and petroleum products, as well as other energy liquids, throughout the U.S. Nearly every gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel used in Nebraska is transported via pipeline. In addition to demands for petroleum for transportation, petroleum hydrocarbons are used by many other industries to produce valuable materials, including, drugs and pharmaceuticals, plastics, chemicals, and construction materials. Pipelines are a vital part of our country’s infrastructure and have been quietly serving the nation for decades.

Leaks from pipelines are rare1 and tend to be small.2 In addition, Keystone XL Pipeline incorporates proven design features and construction methods, as well as a state of art integrity management program. Overall, the approach helps ensure Keystone XL operates safely in the area of the Ogallala Aquifer. However, TransCanada also is prepared to respond to limit any release from the pipeline and to clean-up if a leak were to occur.3

Upon detection of a leak, pumps would be immediately secured from the Operations Control Center and valves would be closed to isolate the affected section of pipe and to limit spill volumes. TransCanada personnel would be mobilized to the spill site immediately to begin emergency containment and begin clean-up. Additional actions would include the notification to landowners and appropriate public agencies of potential groundwater impacts. Even for a spill in the area of a shallow aquifer, prompt clean-up would limit the ability of crude-oil contaminants to dissolve in water.

Clean-up of any release from the Keystone XL Pipeline is required by state4 and federal law. In addition to complying with state and federal law, prompt clean-up of a spill avoids jeopardizing TransCanada’s ability to operate the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Keystone XL does not threaten the viability of the Ogallala Aquifer

The Keystone XL pipeline would cross over the northern portion of the High Plains aquifer which covers approximately 85% of the entire state of Nebraska. The principle water-bearing unit is the Ogallala Formation. The Ogallala covers 174,000 square miles over portions of eight states and is crossed by natural gas and petroleum pipelines.

The proposed pipeline corridor would cross the Ogallala Aquifer for some 250 miles. To help put this number in perspective, there are currently 15,000 miles of pipelines that already transport more than 30 billion gallons of oil and hazardous liquids safely across the Ogallala every year of which 21,000 miles cross through Nebraska itself, including almost 3,000 miles of hazardous liquid pipelines. In addition, oil wells in Nebraska produce over 6,000 barrels of oil right through the Ogallala Aquifer every day.5

Not all portions of the aquifer are equally vulnerable to contamination from surficial sources. From a technical standpoint, the vulnerability of groundwater is a function of soil type and surficial geology overlying the aquifer; depth to groundwater; presence or absence

of overlying confining layers; and the proximity and number of water wells. With respect to the proposed Keystone XL re-route, approximately 75% crosses over the Ogallala Aquifer under confining conditions, meaning there are natural protective materials such as clays and glacial till which have and continue to protect the aquifer from surface contamination. In other areas along the route, generally where the re- route crosses rivers or tributaries, the water-bearing unit is unconfined thus protective confining layers do not exist.

At these vulnerable locations, Keystone XL is required to incorporate additional protective design and safety systems to protect these resources which is additive to the already existing comprehensive operations protection measures; integrity management and emergency response programs.

If a spill from Keystone XL were to ever occur TransCanada would initiate its Emergency Response Program and also work cooperatively with state and federal agencies to identify the appropriate, site-specific methods for cleanup, groundwater monitoring, and remediation methods. The selection of clean-up and remediation methodologies are based on site-specific conditions, including weather conditions, presence of sensitive receptors, soil permeability, hydrogeology and aquifer characteristics. Clean-up would be conducted to ensure the protection of human health and the environment and to meet state and federal standards. In the highly unlikely event that groundwater wells were adversely impacted, TransCanada would be responsible for providing an alternative water supply.

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1. According to the Association of Oil Pipelines, spills along hazardous liquid pipeline rights-of-way have fallen from two incidents per thousand miles in 1999-2001 to 0.8 incidents per thousand miles in 2005-2007, a decline of 60 percent.

2. Based on historical data available from the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, when pipeline leaks do occur, they are small. Most pipeline leaks are three barrels or less; 80% of spills involve less than 50 barrels; and less than 0.5 percent of spills total more than 10,000 barrels.

3. Requirements for response are detailed in 49CFR194.

4. Nebraska Environmental Protection Act, §81-1501 et.seq.

5. According to the Nebraska Energy Office, crude oil has been produced in Nebraska since 1939. In 2009, Nebraska produced more than 6,000 barrels of crude oil per day from 18 different counties. Seventeen of these counties are located in western Nebraska and are underlain by the Ogallala Aquifer.

 

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