Imperial Oil aims for minimal disruption as work begins to fix pipeline south of Winnipeg

Work is underway south of Winnipegon a section of pipeline that brings fuel to the city.

Imperial Oil Ltd. announced last weekend that the line was shut down after an inspection raised concerns about a section of the pipe under the Red River just south of St. Adolphe, Man.

"Some work is happening right now, some engineering and geotechnical work, some equipment's going to start arriving at site later this week," said Keri Scobie, who is part ofpublic and government affairs with Imperial Oil. "The drilling work we're looking to undertake starting near the end of April."

The company previously said theline, which carries gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, will be out of service for approximately three months.

Scobie said Imperial's goal is to create the least disruption possible asthe work gets underway.

"We're working very closely with our neighbours to let them know about the maintenance work, the time frame, all of those sorts of things," she said. "We're going to keep in close contact with everybody that lives close by."

Brian Labelle lives in the area said so far, he hasn't noticed any disruptions because of the work.

"So far I haven't heard a sound, it's pretty quiet and we're right on the south end of town," he said.

Labelle also said he doesn't think the noise will make much of a difference when the drilling starts toward the end of next month.

"There's a lot of construction going on with the home construction in the new area south here, so you hear a lot of noise of trucks and hammering and noises," he said.

"You'd be surprised, there's a lot of trucks coming down here going to Niverville, tons of traffic," Labelle also said.

The rural municipalityof Ritchot waived its noise bylaw so Imperial can work 24 hours a day when the drilling begins.

Ritchot chief administrative officer Mitch Duval said the machines can emit sounds ranging from 85 to 100 decibels, which he compared to a large commercial mower.

Meanwhile, Scobie said the company will also have the environment at the forefront during the repair.

"I think anytime we undertake a project like this the environment is something that is top of mind for us," she said. "So anytime we undertake this work we do it safely with minimal impacts to the environment and that we make sure that the area is left the way it was when we got there."