News Release
Fall River Residents Concerned About Blasting
(Thursday, July 6/2000)-- Many District 2 residents are concerned that their wells might be damaged as a result of blasting by the company building the new natural gas pipeline into Dartmouth, Councillor Gordon Snow said today.
Councillor Snow is upset that neither he or any of the area residents were notified in advance of the blasting by the pipeline contractor, Banister Pipeline Construction Company. The pipeline owner, Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline, issued a news release yesterday advising the public of possible traffic delays due to the blasting, set to begin tomorrow and continue until July 15th.
The Councillor said he does not know if the company conducted pre-blasting surveys of homes in the area; and if not, residents who sustain damage may have a hard time proving the damage was caused by the blasting.
"There should be no blasting permits issued until this company can prove to me and the residents that they plan to store their explosives in a safe place during the blasting period, as well as provide for the safe transport of the explosives while they are operating in the Fall River area, " he said.
The Councillor suggested that a guard be posted 24-hours a day at the site where the explosives will be stored. Also, he said he was concerned that Maritimes and Northeast or Banister Pipeline may want to establish a permanent explosive storage site in the area and District 2 residents would strongly oppose that move.
Councillor Snow said that aside from public safety aspects, the chief concern of residents at this time is the potential damage to residential wells in the area.
"This has been a particularly dry summer so far, and many people are experiencing dry wells. This last thing that they need is to have their well damaged by a blast. Water is too precious a commodity and we must make every effort to ensure that the blasting is well within allowable limits, " he said.
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Councillor Gordon Snow
District 2 (Waverley/Dutch Settlement)
(902) 488-4802
