The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will not go through the Coldwater Indian Band, south of Merritt, as rerouting has now been approved by the Canada Energy Regulator.

The CER, formerly called the National Energy Board, approved the “West Alternative Route” on July 19, which adds nearly three kilometres of pipeline to the entire project and will see 18 km rerouted away from the band, south of Merritt.

For years, the Coldwater band had raised concerns about the risk to its aquifer if the pipeline were to be built where it was proposed through the reserve, just east of the Nicola River. As a result, Trans Mountain applied last fall to the CER to reroute that part of the pipeline.

“I think it was just… trying to get them to fully understand that water was very important for us, and for our reserve,” Coldwater band chief Lee Spahan told NL News.

“It seems like every year, year after year, there’s going to be less and less water. And that’s the thing, is trying to make sure we have all sources of water made availability. And such is groundwater, and how we need that for our livelihood in Coldwater.”

In its 609-page application to reroute the pipeline around the Coldwater band, Trans Mountain said it was hopeful to start construction on the West Alternative Route this month and said it would take about 11 months to finish.

The entire Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, from Edmonton to Burnaby, is expected to be operational by December of 2022. Most recent cost estimates for the project, which from February of 2020, show it would cost $12.6 billion to build.