Nova Chemicals has made a big splash in Joffre, Alberta.
The firm's massive production site in Joffre was named one of five winners of the 2015 Watershed Steward Award for its contributions to conservation in the watershed by the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance. The alliance is a multi-sector, non-profit organization that promotes the good use and proper management of water within the Red Deer River watershed.
The Joffre site was recognized for many efforts in the area, including developing a community nature trail, sustainable stormwater management and volunteer initiatives such as river cleanups. The site also sponsors RiverWatch, a program that allows high school students to monitor and test the Red Deer River for a day. The 450-mile-long Red Deer River runs through Alberta and has a drainage area of more than 17,000 square miles.
Calgary-based Nova employs more than 700 in Joffre, which is one of the world's largest polyethylene production sites with more than two billion pounds of annual capacity. Nova — with total annual sales of more than $5 billion — is building a new linear low density PE plant in Joffre to take advantage of newfound supplies of natural gas in the region.