Potential Effects of an Oil Pipeline Rupture on Reach 2 of Morice River: A Submission to the Joint Review Panel Enbridge Northern Gateway Project

This submission focuses on a portion of the pipeline route that is located adjacent to Morice River, 70 km south of Smithers. It examines the implications of a pipeline rupture and subsequent clean-up efforts to river processes, fish and fish habitat, and relies on data presented in the Enbridge 2010 application. As well, it relies on a rich background of fish and geomorphology information collected in the Morice Watershed during the past 40 years, observations from recent oil spill events, and years of personal field experience in this watershed. It is concluded that diluted bitumen attached to debris and accumulated in the spawning gravels and shoreline sediments would persist and affect salmon and steelhead survival in Morice River for an extended period. There do not appear to be any proven techniques for effectively mitigating these impacts.