Cumulonimbus over Williams Lake

This cumulonnimbus cloud formed over Williams Lake, BC, on the afternoon of June 19th, 2010. It was an interesting formation because of the wedge shape to the lower portion of the cloud, a shape that may be called tuba (a formation sometimes associated with tornadoes). Fortunately it did not appear to be rotating. Further, the cloud quickly lost stability, as just five minutes later (see below), you can see the cloud beginning to fall apart. Five minutes after, this the cloud had completely disappeared.

Cumulonimbus clouds are usually associated with thunderstorms. I'm guessing that flying into a cloud with such a precise shape would not be a good idea, as the edges probably represent serious wind flow.

Photo Credit: Me

BP and Basic Research

Of the countless number of lessons one might learn from the BP blowout in the Gulf, the lack of basic research is one lesson I have not heard anyone mention.

Industry, whether it is oil, food, forestry, or finance has been completely focused in the past few decades upon increasing production and revenue flow. I'm not sure if there is either an assumption that science has already done the basic research to support extending current technologies, or that there is just a belief that engineering and product design can circumvent any complication encountered. Well, it hasn't and it can't.

The BP blowout is a classic example of extending technology beyond what is known about the environment in which that technology is being applied. The fact that no one understood that gas hydrates would form within their first effort at containment was a certain indicator that this crisis was not going to be resolved quickly.

I'm guessing, that if the oil industry is like any other, they have been approached by scientists interested in establishing that basic understanding. I'm also guessing that industry wasn't interested in supporting that research because it did not directly translate into production and revenue flow. Government, heavily influenced by industry in directing their research funding, probably didn't see a need, or more specifically, an 'application,' either.

BP is just one example and I am left to wonder how many other examples we will see over the next few years. Funding for basic research is down everywhere.

In British Columbia, the provincial government has drastically reduced forestry research in the Ministry of Forests and Range. I'm thinking that they do not understand how basic research was aiding 'growth and yield.' As just one example, an entirely new bioenergy industry is emerging in British Columbia, but we know almost nothing about the ecology of the woody debris that they wish to remove for burning. The failures in these areas won't be as acutely dramatic as what is currently unfolding in the Gulf, but they could be just as damaging and even longer lasting.

YouTube Video Credit: UCBcomedy.com

Robotics

Robots can already do amazing things but dealing with visually complex structures of varying texture is extremely challenging. For example, it is very easy for a human to reach into a pile of nuts and bolts and specifically select just the bolts. This seems simple, but teaching a computer how to distinguish a bolt that may be positioned at any angle, while surrounded by a visually cluttered environment of other nuts and bolts, is quite complex.

Here a robot is demonstrating its mastery of a truly complex visual and tactile task. Consider combining this ability with other robots, such as the one that can be seen at this link.

What is even more interesting is that the programming is actually not that complex. The research paper can be found by clicking here. It is based on a fairly simple flowchart, as seen below:

Your Health and Rail-tie Processing in Williams Lake. Part 4: The Law

First, let me state immediately that I am not an expert on Environmental Law (and precious few other things).

In gathering basic information about the issue of rail-tie chipping and storage, however, I've also gathered just a bit of information about provincial pollution laws that are legislated within the BC Environmental Management Act.

First, only an "industry, trade or business" that is defined as "Prescribed" requires a permit to discharge waste before they begin operation. Rail-tie chipping and storage is not defined as "Prescribed," a legal loophole that should be closed as soon as possible.

Despite this, at first glance, the BC Environmental Management Act (EMA) seems to offer hope. According to the EMA, Part 2, Sub-section 6:

"A person must not introduce waste into the environment in such a manner or quantity as to cause pollution."

The EMA defines pollution as:

"the presence in the environment of substances or contaminants that substantially alters or impairs the usefulness of the environment."

That the processing of rail-ties behind the Station House gallery is causing pollution, would seem to be, to use an Americanism, a "self evident truth." Further, the basic laws of chemistry and physics would have to be violated for this not to be true. Unfortunately this appears to be legally inadequate. The legislation is designed to require a complainant to establish that the usefulness of the environment has been altered or impaired. That would require someone, or some organization to collect and pay for expensive soil and water sampling.

But.....before anyone runs off to collect money to accomplish this (and I don't think that aspect would be hard), the results, regardless of what they revealed, would be mostly meaningless. This is because the prior use of the site would not allow one to distinguish between current and prior contamination.

As far as I can tell, this allows for the discharge of almost any form or quantity of oil, oil product, or toxin, into the soil with near complete impunity.

From a pollution perspective, the Station House Gallery site appears to be a legal toxic-waste black-hole.

One wonders how many others exist in the province.

Still, there is one angle to make the legislation work that people may consider. If pollution causes an odour, you can use the chemical receptors built into your nose, to document how the "usefulness" of the environment has been altered. If residents or business owners in an area affected by odours keep records (standardized and consistent) of odour events AND local weather records (i.e., wind speed, direction, temperature) over a long period of time, it may be possible to prove that the environment has been altered or made unusable. This was done successfully in the instance of odours from Moneys Mushrooms in the Fraser Valley.

But, back to the issue of rail-ties behind the Station House Gallery. Now it may be evident why the City of Williams Lake approached the issue from the angle of the BC Fire Code. Attempting to resolve the issue using pollution laws would have been almost impossible.

Let your MLA know that any processing of wood treated with creosote or other pesticide/preservative, should be considered a "Prescribed Industry, Trade or Business."

Photo: Screen capture of the header on the Ministry of the Environment webpage introducing the Environmental Management Act. Available from: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/main/ema.htm

Your Health and Rail-tie Processing in Williams Lake. Update 1

Although many people may have already seen the press release from the City of Williams Lake yesterday (March 22nd), I thought I would note it here to keep the information on this blog up-to-date.

In short, the City has determined that the rail-ties are in "non-compliance" with the BC Fire Code. Hopefully this matter will not be in dispute between CN Rail and the City, allowing for rapid removal of this material from downtown Williams Lake.

Given that CN Rail is a company that specializes in moving large quantities of material, I'm sure they can demonstrate this expertise by getting the chipped and unchipped ties out of this site quickly. I hope that this material will be transported to a location specializing in the storage of toxic waste.

Tomorrow (March 24) I will post some information about provincial pollution legislation (what was intended to be Part 4 of the blog series), as it relates directly to issues at the Station House Gallery. It may explain why the removal of this material required referencing the Fire Code as opposed to provincial pollution legislation that one might suppose is intended to protect our health. I'll also try to note one way that residents can use that legislation when industrial activities affect air quality.

Capital Power (EPCOR) Decides to Stop Burning Rail-ties!

I've just learned that Capital Power (formerly EPCOR) has decided to stop burning rail-ties at its bioenergy facility in Williams Lake.

I want to thank Capital Power for making that decision. It was the right decision for Williams Lake and Capital Power.

Given this, my blogs on this issue will end for awhile as the facts on the ground begin to rearrange. I will repost once direction is set for dealing with the chips stored at the Station House Gallery.

The work of many people over the past several months has raised awareness of the rail-tie issue behind the scenes. These concerns have been heard. This is a victory for those who raised this issue in community sustainability committees, and those who wrote and spoke to city councilors, the Mayor, our MLA, and Ministry of Environment officials.

Thumbs Up to the Community!

Photo: The left extended lateral most digit of a lesser Higgins

Photo credit: R. Higgins

Your Health and Rail-tie Processing in Williams Lake. Part 3: Rail ties and Fire

AN EXTREME FIRE HAZARD

Creosote burns hot and fast but that is only part of the problem. Uncontrolled fire in creosote results in a great quantity of incompletely combusted compounds. Consider the dioxins, PAHs, and chlorophenols noted in my previous blog. The black smoke coming from such a fire would be full of those. No one would recommend that anyone be exposed to any of this.

A fire in this material could be a major problem depending upon which way the wind is blowing. People in the way of the smoke should either stay indoors and seal off all doors and windows, or leave town as quickly and safely as possible. Of those I have spoken to about this, the minimum noted was 'partial evacuation of the downtown.' I know that sounds dramatic, but this would not be a typical fire. If the city had the further misfortune of a fire occurring during an air inversion (see here for information about inversions in Williams Lake), the smoke would be trapped in the city.

I've asked the City of Williams Lake if the Fire Chief believes that a fire in these chips could be put out. Apparently the Chief believes it could be. I hope he is correct, but consider the short video available below, or at this link if you have a problem with the video below playing.

In the case documented by the video:

1) the wind was blowing the smoke away and because the fire was surrounded by grassland, fire fighters had access. The chip storage area in Williams Lake has very limited access as three sides are valley cliffs;

2) Although the fire was 'contained' the option of actually putting it out did not seem to be on the table. They had to let it burn out by itself;

3) This was a fire in a portion of 1,000 unchipped rail-ties. Chipped wood will burn faster and the quantity on site in Williams Lake is certainly greater than 1,000 ties;

4) The fire documented in the video was clearly not immediately adjacent to the downtown district of a city.

What are the odds of a fire in these chips? Frankly, I'm surprised it hasn't happened already but the fact that the site has access only from one side probably keeps most people out. The site, however, is directly across the street from a pub. There is no fence. It only takes one person, waiting for a ride late at night, who heads across the street to empty their bladder, who flicks a cigarette....

I'm all for trying to find win-win solutions to problems, but in this case, the chipping and storage of rail-ties in Williams Lake needs to stop.

Header Photo: Chipped and unchipped rail-ties behind the Station House Gallery

Photo Credit: R. Higgins