Pipeline Safety and Integrity
Q: How safe are pipelines?
A: Compared to other modes of energy transportation, pipelines continue to be the safest and most efficient method of transporting crude oil and petroleum products to consumer markets. For more information on Pipeline Safety statistics in Canada visit the Transportation Safety Board of Canada website.
Q: What is the lifespan of the pipelines?
A: As long as pipelines are regularly maintained, the lifespan is indefinite. With technology advancements, such as using smart pigs and advanced welding techniques, the pipeline today is as safe as when it was first installed. By using our integrity management tools, we can continue to operate our pipelines for many years to come.
Damage Prevention & Public Awareness
Q: What is considered ‘working’ near the pipelines?
A: Any activity that disturbs the ground such as:
- Augering
- Blasting
- Digging
- Ditch shaping
- Drilling
- Driving vehicles (including ATVs, Snowmobiles)
- Driving posts or anchors
- Excavation
- Farm activities such as: plowing, tilling, or terracing
- Grading
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- Land leveling
- Loading
- Logging
- Rock picking
- Subsoil aeration
- Tree planting
- Trenching
- Top soil stripping
- Tunneling and/or boring
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Q: What is the difference between a Pipeline Proximity Installation Permit (Proximity Permit) and a 30 Metre Ground Disturbance Safety Zone Permit (30 Metre Permit)?
A: If you are planning to work near the pipelines you need to obtain a 30 Metre Permit. If you are planning to construct or install a road, utilities, or other facility within our right-of-way, you are required to apply for a Proximity Permit.
Q: How much notification is needed for either a Proximity Permit or a 30 Metre Permit?
A: A 30 Metre Permit requires three business days notice. A Proximity Permit is a more complex document and can take up to 10 business days for us to process once a complete application has been received.
Q: Why do I need to call my local One Call centre?
A: We cannot stress enough the importance of placing a One Call. One Call centres are agencies that will identify buried facilities at your planned job site. If your work is on or near a Kinder Morgan pipeline, we will contact you within three business days after making your One Call. If needed, we will send an inspector to your site to mark the exact location of the pipeline and provide you with guidelines for safely working near the pipeline.
Q: After I place my One Call, do I need to contact Kinder Morgan?
A: No, but if you feel you need to contact us, please do. Your local One Call centre will contact our Pipeline Protection department and we will respond to your One Call request within three business days. We can help answer any questions that you may have about working safely near our pipelines or right-of-ways.
Q: Aren’t all utility requirements the same?
A: Each company has its own rules, many based upon various government regulations, with respect to buried facilities. By contacting your local One Call centre, they will advise all member organizations within the area of your project that you have a planned ground disturbance activity. Each member company is required to contact you within three business days with respect to their prospective requirements. For more information on the process, please contact your local One Call centre.
Q: If the pipeline markers show the location of the pipeline, isn’t this all the information I need?
A: No. The pipeline markers only indicate the approximate location of the pipeline. They do not provide information on the depth or exact location within the markers. By using the pipeline markers as guides, you could easily come in direct contact with the pipeline, a potentially dangerous event. Only a qualified Kinder Morgan inspector can identify the exact location of the pipeline.
