Environmental Management Planning - Esquimalt Harbour Remediation Project

Protecting the Present While Cleaning-up the Past

Introduction

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n  Esquimalt Harbour Remediation Project §  Site environmental setting §  Environmental objectives

n  Regulatory Context n  Environmental Assessment n  Environmental Management

Planning n  Objectives protective & practical n  Performance Measurement

Esquimalt Harbour

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n  Located just west of Victoria BC

n  Long history of naval and industrial activity, dating back to the mid-1800s

n  Home of Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt (CFB Esquimalt)

n  Six sites for remedial dredging based on concentrations above CCME

n  Active harbour with ongoing naval activities

n  No fin fish or shell fish harvesting is allowed within the harbour

Remediation

n  Remediation works §  Dredging (intertidal and

subtidal) §  Dewatering of dredgeate §  Capping §  Structural works (e.g., pilings

removal/replacement, temporary works)

§  Transport of materials §  Disposal

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Environmental Assessment

n  Water Quality n  Suspension of sediments n  Associated contaminants

n  Noise n  Ambient n  Underwater noise

n  Species at Risk n  Disturbance of marine habitat n  Mitigation

n  Habitat offset n  Construction monitoring

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Environmental Management & Monitoring

n  Why is environmental management and monitoring important? §  Due diligence to confirm that

the works are not resulting in harmful environmental impacts

§  To confirm that protection measures are sufficient

§  To identify when activities need to be modified or temporarily stopped

§  To provide data for reporting to regulatory agencies

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Tools for Environmental Management

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•  How protection goals will be met

•  Tools to verify protection goals are met

•  Protection goals

•  What needs to be protected

Environmental Assessment

Environmental Management

Plan

Environmental Protection

Plan Environmental

Monitoring

Environmental Management Plan

n  Plan to manage potential environmental risks identified by the EA

n  Document the requirements for environmental management §  Communication to Contractor

(s) §  Roles and responsibilities

n  Support project review by regulatory agencies

n  Establish performance monitoring objectives

n  Decision framework for active and adaptive management

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Environmental Management Plan

n  Mitigation and Monitoring §  Practical to implement §  Real-time information for pro-

active management §  Decision framework

n  Developed prior to contracting n  Clearly outline expectations and

requirements n  Allows contractor to develop and

effective EPP n  Avoid delays to project schedule n  Predict and manage costs

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Environmental Management & Monitoring

n  Water Quality §  Suspended sediments §  TSS/NTU Relationship §  Dredge elutriate testing §  Water Quality Guidelines §  Establishing performance

monitoring objectives §  Monitoring locations §  Real-time monitoring §  Laboratory analysis –

validation

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Environmental Management & Monitoring

n  Marine work windows §  Project schedule §  Sequencing of work activities §  Additional mitigation and

monitoring

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Environmental Management & Monitoring

n  Marine mammal monitoring n  Fish aggregations/spawning n  Noise

§  Ambient and underwater §  Mitigation measures §  Monitoring

n  Habitat Offsetting §  Regulatory context §  Habitat balance §  Habitat banking

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Summary

n  Detailed Environmental Management Planning is important n  Protect the environment n  Understand how project environmental risks can

be managed n  Document requirements and performance

monitoring objectives §  Communication with stakeholders and reviewing

agencies §  Communication with Contractor(s) performing works

n  Practical, real-time, adaptive n  Understand potential schedule and cost

implications

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Questions?

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