The Chemical Valley (USA & Canada)

[flar]

The Chemical Valley
St. Clair River near Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan


This is a tour of the heavily industrialized region along the St. Clair River in Ontario and Michigan. The area south of Sarnia, Ontario is known as the Chemical Valley and forms the centre of Canada's petrochemical industry. The Chemical Valley is an integral part of the Canadian economy, supplying chemicals and raw materials for the automotive, agricultural, pharmaceutical and other industries. The petrochemical industry began in the 1850s when oil wells were commercialized nearby. Combined with local salt deposits and strategic access to other raw materials via the St. Lawrence Seaway, the chemical industry intensified quickly in the mid 20th century. Today oil is piped in directly from Alberta. Further downstream, Great Lakes freighters supply coal to several large power plants on the American side near St. Clair and Marysville, Michigan, and one on the Canadian side just south of Courtright, Ontario. The smokestacks can be seen for miles and miles and the alien landscapes of the many chemical plants make for some impressive imagery.

[flar]

The Chemical Valley used to be featured on the back of the Canadian ten dollar bill:



source: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=330361182225

[xzmattzx]

Great pictures! I didn't realize that this area existed, although oil and gas is vital for numerous industries, so refineries and the like are needed all around both countries and around the world.

There are a ton of refineries around here as well, which is kind of rare, but not really (I think there are refineries on the bays and shores in North Jersey and near New York City, but the Chesapeake Bay is not as marred as our Delaware River). I know you saw my Marcus Hook thread, of the refinery town in the corner of Pennsylvania. Delaware City, in my state, has a refinery that is pretty much the "skyline" for the town, and you can see it from much of New Castle County. There are a couple refineries in New Jersey, like in Paulsboro and a couple other places, and DuPont has a chemical facility in Carney's Point/Pennsville in New Jersey (with a pretty cool historic industrial building almost literally next to the northbound descent from the Delaware Memorial Bridge). You would probably like this area as well.

[flar]

I grew up drinking water drawn downstream of this, and eating fish taken from the river. My grandparents have lived along the river for decades and my grandfather worked at Ethyl for many years. My parents live along the river now, and my stepfather works at Lambton Generating Station. I know many people who work in these plants and I even worked briefly at a natural gas storage facility not far from here.

The environmental effects are undeniable, anyone who has visited Sarnia will have experienced the distinctive odours that emanate from the dozens of chemical plants. Things are much better today than they were in the past. Many of these plants were built in the 50s and 60s when there was much less environmental oversight. A fertilizer plant once caused massive algae blooms downstream, chemical spills were frequent, and I remember warnings not to drink the water when I was young. There have been some mass evacuations due to accidents and in the 1980s a huge chemical blob was found in the river after decades of industrial discharges.

With aging facilities, high oil prices and stricter environmental standards, industry in the Chemical Valley has changed a lot in recent years. Plans for a massive new oil refinery were cancelled, Dow Chemical has ceased operations in Sarnia and I noticed the old Polysar/Bayer rubber plant has been demolished in the past year. The coal-fired Lambton Generating Station will be shutting down in the next couple years. I'm pretty sure that the huge brick power plant in Marysville, MI is mothballed. On the other hand, a new natural gas power generating plant just opened. A lot of these plants will continue operating because they produce the chemicals used in thousands of everyday products.

[miketoronto]

Very cool.

Sarnia however is not a place one would want to live in, due to this Chemica Valley.

There have been documentaries about this area, and all the health effects these plants have on the community.

The community has one of the highest cancer and lung illness rates in Canada.
There is an indian reservation that borders right onto the chemical factories, and they found that chemical emissions have changed the DNA in that reservation. So much so that almost all kids born there are girls, because the males sperm in the area has been altered by the emissions.

Great for the economy, but that Chemical Valley is one big environmental mess in waiting.

[ue]

Looks as brutal as the Tar Sands!

Really stunning, the first image really draws one in...isn't this the place that has high asthma rates and low birth of male problems?

[Kingofthehill]

uninhabitable

[Wpg_Guy]

sick.

[LMich]

Very interesting tour. Interestingly enough, I'd never heard of the term "Chemical Valley", and I don't think it's what we call it on this side of the river. The only name that region gets, down here, is Blue Water Area because of how clear the St. Clair is and Lake Huron.

BTW, I'm pretty sure the big, brick power plant you're talking about in Marysville is the old St. Clair Power Plant in East China, and it's nowhere close to be shutting down. In fact, it was added to last in 2005 and is one of DTE's largest, most productive power plants. The newer Belle River Power Plant next door is a hybrid and burns natural gas and coal, St. Clair Power Plant burns oil and coal, Lambton Generating Station burns just coal.

[flar]

Originally Posted by LMich

Very interesting tour. Interestingly enough, I'd never heard of the term "Chemical Valley", and I don't think it's what we call it on this side of the river. The only name that region gets, down here, is Blue Water Area because of how clear the St. Clair is and Lake Huron.

BTW, I'm pretty sure the big, brick power plant you're talking about in Marysville is the old St. Clair Power Plant in East China, and it's nowhere close to be shutting down. In fact, it was added to last in 2005 and is one of DTE's largest, most productive power plants. The newer Belle River Power Plant next door is a hybrid and burns natural gas and coal, St. Clair Power Plant burns oil and coal, Lambton Generating Station burns just coal.

The Canadian side is the Chemical Valley, and much more heavily industrialized. The American side is industrial too, but more manufacturing and power plants. The Canadian area is also called the Bluewater region.

There are three power plants on the American side:

The Marysville plant, between Marysville and Port Huron:


The Belle River plant in East China township (built in the 1980s):


The St. Clair Plant:


The last two plants are located between Marine City and St. Clair, Michigan. I never see smoke coming from the Marysville plant, but the other two are always working.

This is Lambton Generating Station on the Canadian side, just north of the American plants:

[LMich]

Originally Posted by flar

The Canadian side is the Chemical Valley, and much more heavily industrialized. The American side is industrial too, but more manufacturing and power plants. The Canadian area is also called the Bluewater region.

There are three power plants on the American side:

The Marysville plant, between Marysville and Port Huron:


The Belle River plant in East China township (built in the 1980s):


The St. Clair Plant:


The last two plants are located between Marine City and St. Clair, Michigan. I never see smoke coming from the Marysville plant, but the other two are always working.

This is Lambton Generating Station on the Canadian side, just north of the American plants:

Ok, thanks for putting pictures to the names.

With that said, ALL THREE of the American plants are still very much in operation, all three being owned and operated by Detroit-based DTE Energy (Detroit Edison). Of the three, it is by far the least powerful with a capacity of only 150 MW, the second lowest of the three American plants on the river. In comparions, St. Clair has a generation capacity of over 1,500 MW and Belle River nearly 1,400 MW. Again, while it may look mouthballed, Marysville is very much still an active power plant.

BTW, Jodelli brought up an interesting in fact in that Detroit avoids all of this pollution as it pulls its waters above the river from Lake Huron.

[flar]

Originally Posted by LMich

Ok, thanks for putting pictures to the names.

With that said, ALL THREE of the American plants are still very much in operation, all three being owned and operated by Detroit-based DTE Energy (Detroit Edison). Of the three, it is by far the least powerful with a capacity of only 150 MW, the second lowest of the three American plants on the river. In comparions, St. Clair has a generation capacity of over 1,500 MW and Belle River nearly 1,400 MW. Again, while it may look mouthballed, Marysville is very much still an active power plant.

BTW, Jodelli brought up an interesting in fact in that Detroit avoids all of this pollution as it pulls its waters above the river from Lake Huron.

Amazing, they still fire up the Marysville plant to meet demand. I believe it was built in the 1920s.

[Austinlee]

MMMmmm chemicals.... Pumping out millions of gallons of delicious LSD.

[hollow man]

Great tour!, thanks!

[miketoronto]

I would not drink water downstream from that either. They were saying Windsor has a large amount of illness from pollution and water that flows downstream from Sarnia, and also from Zug Island and related industry in Detroit.
One lady said never to drink tap water in the Sarnia, Windsor area.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

I would not drink water downstream from that either. They were saying Windsor has a large amount of illness from pollution and water that flows downstream from Sarnia, and also from Zug Island and related industry in Detroit.
One lady said never to drink tap water in the Sarnia, Windsor area.

If you live in Toronto, you are drinking the downstream water.

[Bedhead]

Epic thread. Makes you wonder how many more 'chemical rivers' there are around the world, that we just don't think about.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by Bedhead

Epic thread. Makes you wonder how many more 'chemical rivers' there are around the world, that we just don't think about.

the Kanawha River in the Charleston, WV area is a famed "Chemical Valley"

[ColDayMan]

Thanks for the tour!

[tulip city madman]

Fascinating tour! Thank you. Everyone is a critic, but all are consumers. NIMBY. Those factories are jobs, supporting families that provide products for everyone, even the critics. I am not a supporter of pollution, however if jobs are to be kept in North America, there are some sacrifices. This area is as heavily controlled as any in the world. If only we could all work in wilderness preserves, all would be well.