Title:
Above Ground Pipeline Wildlife Crossing Directive
Number:
ESRD, Public Land Management, 2014, No. 7
Program Name:
Operations
Effective Date:
July 27, 2012
This document was
updated on:
February 3, 2014
Purpose
This document describes the minimum requirements for mitigating the barrier effect of above ground
pipelines on wildlife movement at thermal in-situ oil extraction facilities.
This directive is intended to:



Provide wildlife with reasonable opportunities for movement across above ground pipelines.
Establish a minimum number of crossings per segment of pipeline.
Set minimum design criteria for crossing opportunities.
Procedure
Public Lands Act, Section 15(2). The director may, in a disposition or renewal, prescribe terms and
conditions to which the disposition is subject.
Public Lands Administration Regulation, Section 10(1). The director may issue a formal disposition
subject to any terms and conditions the director considers appropriate.
Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, Section 68. The Director may issue an approval subject
to any terms and conditions the Director considers appropriate.
Proponents of in-situ projects involving above ground pipelines must demonstrate in their applications
how the project will conform to this standard.
Relevant applications include the Environmental Field Report for dispositions under the Public Lands
Act, Environmental Impact Assessments for commercial-scale in-situ projects and applications to
construct and operate in-situ facilities under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.
Applicants are encouraged to include maps and cross-section schematics to illustrate the locations and
design of mitigation measures. Maps should illustrate clearance under the pipe to the ground in colourcoded 5m sections as well as the locations of all over-pipe crossings. Displaying adjacent ecosites,
wildlife trails, and related infrastructure will provide context and support. Cross-section schematics
illustrating the relief across the entire right-of-way width, including ditches, roads, above ground pipes
and any other infrastructure present, are encouraged for each unique crossing opportunity.
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Appropriate conditions will be included in dispositions or approvals issued under the Public Lands Act or
the Environmental Protection Enhancement Act.
Preliminary Considerations
Wildlife movement across pipelines can be facilitated by either above-pipeline crossings, or underpipeline crossings. Under pipeline crossings are preferred. All opportunities for under-pipe crossings
must be incorporated into the pipeline design. The placement of crossings shall consider wildlife habitat
corridors and attempt to maintain movement corridors for the full diversity of species expected to occur.
Data sources such as wildlife monitoring, vegetation/topographical maps, and LIDAR may inform these
decisions and influence crossing location. Discussions among industry, consultants, ESRD/AER are
necessary prior to finalization of the pipeline design.
Crossing Requirements
The following section describes the minimum number of crossings that must be achieved, both inside and
outside of caribou range, the design specifications for under- and over- pipe crossings, and the expected
distribution of crossings on the landscape.
Minimum Frequency
Crossing opportunities are required at a rate of 3 crossings per 1000 m of continuous above-ground
pipeline outside of caribou range. While in caribou range, crossing opportunities are required at a rate of 4
crossings per 1000 m of continuous above-ground pipeline. Pipelines extending less than 250 m from the
central processing facility do not require a crossing opportunity.
A continuous segment is defined as any mainline pipeline extending from the boundary of a central
processing facility to a junction with a lateral pipeline, or boundary of a multi-well pad or boundary of
another central processing facility; or any lateral pipeline extending from the boundary of a pad to the
boundary of another pad, the boundary of a central processing facility or to a junction with a mainline
pipeline.
The number of crossing opportunities is calculated for each continuous segment of pipeline greater than
250m as:
In caribou range:
# crossings = 4 (Segment Length (m))
1000 (m)
Outside of caribou range:
# crossings = 3 (Segment Length (m))
1000 (m)
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Where local environmental conditions constrain number of wildlife crossings possible, operators may opt
to provide an equivalent extent of crossing opportunity for each above-ground pipeline segment, provided
that minimum crossing widths and maximum intervals between crossings are met. Equivalent extent of
crossing opportunity is equal to 8% of total length of above-ground pipeline within caribou habitat, and
6% of above-ground pipeline length elsewhere.
Crossings Design
Under-pipe crossing is the preferred type and is defined as any crossing that has a minimum clearance of
180 cm at apex between ground and bottom of the pipe. A minimum clearance of 175 cm above ground
must be maintained for at least 20 m (clearance height is measured from the soil surface to the lowest
obstruction). Under-pipe permeability is encouraged, even where minimum extent above 175 cm does not
approach the 20 m minimum for a crossing due to topographical constraints. Under-pipe crossings must
account for at least 65% of the crossing opportunities within an In-situ development. In situations where
more than 35% of crossing opportunities are provided by over-pipe crossings, operators must pursue
further dialogue with ESRD/AER.
Over-Pipe Crossings are engineered structures whose intended function is exclusively for wildlife
movement over the pipeline. Over-pipe crossings will be a minimum of 8 m wide at the surface of the
crossing (excludes side slopes) and an approach and egress with a slope of 1:6 (unless adjacent natural
gradient is steeper or additional clearing of habitat would be required to facilitate a slope of 1:6). Slopes
of over-pipe crossings cannot exceed 1:3 under any circumstances.
Over-pipe crossings shall only be used when under-pipe crossings are not feasible or logistically possible.
Ancillary use of over-pipe crossings for vehicles is not permitted.
To both encourage wildlife movement and discourage vehicle traffic; natural materials such as rocks,
boulders, coarse woody material, earth berms, and live vegetation planting among others materials should
be deployed. All over-pipe crossings are to be vegetated with species consistent with adjacent native plant
communities. Over-pipe crossings must take into account the natural surroundings and potential wildlife
use of the crossing (e.g. maintain line of sight across the right-of-way). Wildlife crossings must not be
located in areas wildlife are likely to avoid (e.g. beside parking lot).
Note: If safety rails are installed along the sides of the crossing then the minimum width of such crossings
shall be 9 m.
Distribution of Crossings
For continuous segments requiring more than 1 crossing opportunity, the minimum distance between
crossings within that segment shall be 100 m, while the maximum distance between crossings within that
segment shall be 500 m.
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Enforcement/Compliance
ESRD/AER reserves the right to reject any application that fails to comply with the Standard. Applicants
that cannot comply with the standard but still wish to seek authorization must describe all proposed
deviations from the standard as well as alternative strategies for providing an equivalent level of
mitigation for wildlife. Supporting literature must be provided and further discussion with ESRD/AER
must be sought.
Contact Information
Wayne Holland, Regional Approvals Manager
Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development
Lower Athabasca Region
wayne.holland@gov.ab.ca
(780) 464 - 7955
Authorities
Public Lands Act, Section 15(2), Public Lands Administration Regulation,
Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, Section 68
Approved
Original signed by
Kem Singh, Executive Director
Land and Forestry Policy Branch
Environment and Sustainable Resource Development
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Table 1.0 Tabular summary of frequencies of crossings required for example provided in Figure 1.
Caribou Range (4 crossings /1000m segment)
Segment
Length
(m)
Length(4/1000)
*No.
Crossings
Under
Crossings
Over
Crossings
A-B
700
2.8
3
2
1
Lat 1
200
0
0
0
Lat 2
650
2.6
3
3
0
B-C
600
2.4
2
2
0
Lat 3
1000
4
4
2
2
Lat 4
600
2.4
2
0
2
C-D
800
3.2
3
3
0
Lat 5
500
2
2
2
0
Lat 6
600
2.4
2
2
0
Total
5650
21
16
5
* Rounded to nearest whole number
Crossing not needed if segment is <250m
Over vs. Total Crossing Ratio =24 %
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Above Ground Pipeline Wildlife Crossing Directive
© 2014 Government of Alberta
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