Wildfires, rail spills major concerns for Barriere going into warmer season

Apr 25, 2018 | 5:09 PM

KAMLOOPS — While many Interior communities are bracing for flooding, the District of Barriere is more concerned about a spill into the North Thompson River with hundreds of rail cars carrying oil going through the community. 

Barriere signed a mutual benefits agreement with Kinder Morgan in 2015 and mayor Virginia Smith believes a pipeline is a safer alternative to transporting oil. She thinks there is a greater risk of a spill. 

“Certainly when the freshet comes, that river gets moving very quickly, which is a big concern with all the oil tankers going down it. That’s a huge concern for us,” says Smith. “That’s probably a bigger concern than flooding even. We have the railway line right along the river and there are hundreds and hundreds of oil tankers that go down there. If one goes ever, it’s going to be a nightmare.”