Trans Mountain pipeline tank farm in Burnaby, B.C. Burnaby NOW file photo
Lesley Durrant moved into Burnaby’s leafy Forest Grove neighbourhood because it was supposed to be quiet and tranquil.
For her, it’s anything but.
Durrant is fed up with what she claims is noise from vehicles and workers at the Underhill Avenue gate to the Trans Mountain tank farm at the bottom of Burnaby Mountain.
“The loud talking, yelling and laughing from the gate and the site directly behind our home was as bad as ever this morning and woke me up prior to 5.36 a.m.,” Durrant wrote in an email on Wednesday, May 22. “I tried to get back to sleep, but the noise continued – and was so loud that even though my window was closed, it made sleep impossible.”
Durrant keeps a daily logs of the disruptions and has contacted Trans Mountain with her complaints.
“Please, please, would you ask your employees to stop the loud talking, horn use, back-up beepers and arrival of large equipment and trucks prior to 7a.m.
The noise from your site during the ‘allowable’ hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. is intolerable. The excessive noise prior to 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m. is completely unacceptable. Also, the vibrations from work on your site continue to shake the walls of our home. It is most alarming.”
The NOW contacted Trans Mountain and it supplied a statement saying that company officials have met with Durrant about the noise concerns.
“Based on feedback received from this neighbour, we have made modifications and proposed abatement measures,” said the statement. “We are actively working to determine solutions where practicable to address her concerns. To date, we have been able to remove the generator that was being used in the southeast corner of the facility near her home, and are now sourcing quiet generators where practicable. We have also disabled the main gate alarm. In addition, our objective is to use alternate safety mechanisms instead of back-up safety alarms where a practical alternative exists (e.g. back-up cameras). We continue to ensure our workers are aware and reminded about residential properties near Burnaby Terminal.
“We are conducting noise assessments, including a noise monitor placed inside our fence line which helps to confirm regulatory compliance, and continuing to develop additional practical abatement measures that we anticipate will be effective at reducing sound in the area. We are also investigating placing portable noise barriers at the location of specific equipment such as generators. We will continue to work with this neighbour and keep her informed of our noise assessments and mitigation measures. We are committed to making ongoing improvements to reduce the impact of our work on our neighbours, and welcome their continued feedback.”
