Alberta's got a new plan for a southern pipeline to B.C.'s coast - it still won't be easy
Alberta and federal officials are proposing a new pipeline route through British Columbia's Fraser Valley to reach the coast. Experts warn that the region's loose, water-saturated soil poses significant seismic risks to the project.
Why it matters
The project faces major environmental and engineering hurdles, illustrating the difficulty of balancing energy infrastructure expansion with geological safety.
This sediment, which makes up the ground beneath most of the Fraser Valley, is weak, loose and water saturated, and it's one of the main challenges of building Alberta's proposed new pipeline terminal on the shores of southern British Columbia at Roberts Bank, near the Fraser River estuary.
As Dashtgard shakes his hand, the wet sand dissolves and runs through his fingers "almost like a soup." He's demonstrating the process of liquefaction, which could occur if there's an earthquake.
"That becomes the concern of building on top of water saturated or loose sediment or sand like this," he said.
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