Technical Presentation to the Northwest Territories Water Board

Water Licence Application N7-1-1835 October 2013

Presentation Outline • DOT as a Developer • Construction Activities • Environmental Management Plan • Scope of Application • Project Water Use, Watercourse Crossings, and Waste

Management • Effects to Water Quality and Quantity, including

Monitoring • Consultation • Compensation

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The DOT as a Developer

• The mandate of the Department of Transportation, Government of the Northwest Territories is to plan, design, construct or reconstruct, acquire, operate and maintain public transportation infrastructure

• The proposed construction of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway falls within this mandate

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The DOT as a Developer

• The Department is responsible for a transportation system that consists of 2,200 km of all-weather highway, 1,450 km of publicly constructed winter roads, four ferry and ice crossings and 27 community airports

• In the 2013/14 FY the Department had $117 million available for Operations and Maintenance Expenditures

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The Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project

• The ITH project comprises construction and operation of a 140-km all-season highway between the communities of Inuvik (end of Navy Road) and Tuktoyaktuk, in the ISR

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Scope of Development

• The Construction of the ITH project includes: – Winter development and operation of borrow sources – Summer maintenance and stockpiling at borrow sources – Winter construction of new embankment – Construction of permanent watercourse crossing and

drainage structures – Summer embankment compaction, surfacing and grading – Construction and operation of winter roads and access trails – Winter and summer operation of temporary camps,

maintenance and storage areas (continued…)

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Scope of Development

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Scope of Development

(… continued) – Transportation of fuel,

waste, equipment and personnel

– Storage of fuel

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Environmental Effects and Mitigation

• The ITH project underwent a Substituted Panel Review by the Environmental Impact Review Board

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Environmental Effects and Mitigation

• The EIRB concluded that the Project will have significant effects on the environment, but that these can be mitigated through the implementation of recommended measures and the developer’s commitments

• The Government of Canada accepted, or accepted the intent of most of the recommendations with modifications, and decided that the development should proceed

• The developer has implemented all of the recommendations related to water and waste in its application

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Project Environmental Management Plan

• Environmental Management Plan includes: – Sedimentation and Erosion Control Plan – Waste Management Plan – Explosives Management Plan – Spill Response Procedure – Spill Contingency Management Plan – Safe Work Practice – Fueling Equipment – Safe Work Practice – Handling Petroleum – Emergency Response Plan – Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Plan – Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat Protection Plan

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Construction Plan

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Construction Plan

• 3 year embankment construction; 4th year surfacing • 40 km constructed each year: 20 km per spread • Most construction activities in winter

Winter 2013-14

Summer 2014

Winter 2014-15

Summer 2015

Winter 2015-16

Summer 2016

Embankment and Crossings Construction

Year 1-N

Year 1-S

Year 2-N

Year 2-S

Year 3-N

Year 3-S Borrow Pit Development 4 Limited 6 Limited 6 Limited Access Road Construction Year 1-N

Year 1-S

Year 2-N

Year 2-S

Year 3-N

Year 3-S

Camps and Supporting Infrastructure

42 2 4 2 4 2

Surfacing/Grading/Railings Year 1-N

Year 1-S

Year 2-N

Year 2-S

Year 3-N

Year 3-S 15

Watercourse Crossing Structures

• 68 crossing structures required at 66 crossings

• Meet DFO requirements for fish passage in streams where fish are present

• 8 bridges • 19 bridge-sized culverts (≥ 1.6 m diameter) • 41 culverts (≥1.2 m diameter)

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Example Structure

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Crossing Construction

• In-stream construction planned for winter • Excavate to prepare culvert alignment for installation • Place woven geotextile and bedding gravel below the culvert • Install culvert to grade and alignment • Backfill culvert in thin lifts

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Crossing Construction

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Crossing Construction

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Crossing Construction

• Sedimentation and erosion control will be applied in accordance with Sedimentation and Erosion Control Plan (SECP) and best management practices

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Embankment Construction

• The embankment fill will be placed in winter • Snow will be cleared ahead of the construction • Place geotextile on outer edges of the embankment • Place fill material on 600 mm maximum lifts compacting

each lift to final elevation • Dress and compact side slopes • Dry, grade and compact the top 400 mm of the embankment

in summer • Install guardrail and signage • Following stabilization of the top of the embankment, place

and compact topping gravel in summer

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Embankment Construction

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Embankment Construction

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Borrow Sources

• Up to 11 borrow sources to be used during 3-4 year construction

• 1-2 year use of each during construction

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Borrow Sources

• 500,000 – 800,000 m3 of material to be removed from each source per year

• Operation guided by Pit Development Plans

• Blasting, ripping and hauling in winter; minimal late summer activity

• Re-contouring and natural revegetation of used areas at end of operation

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Camps

• 4 x 60 man camps each winter (2 per spread); 2 x 20 man camps in summer (1 per spread)

• Located at borrow sources or next to embankment (winter) and on embankment (summer)

• Modular construction, transported in winter on access trails

• Bottled drinking water

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Winter Roads and Access Trails

• Access trails built of compacted snow; used to mobilize/de-mobilize equipment early and late in season

• Winter roads built of snow and ice; used for hauling borrow material

• Routing over lakes (rather than overland) has been maximized

• Winter road alongside embankment will be constructed along new embankment only

• Winter road to borrow sources will be required for 1-2 years during construction 28

Project’s Use of Water

• Construction and maintenance of overland winter roads

• Camp washing and cooking

• Summer embankment compaction and surfacing

• Greatest use of water is for winter roads

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Project’s Use of Water • Water use greatest

for about 6 weeks during early winter (600 - 800 m3/day) per spread

• Water use is considerably lower during rest of year

(20 -120 m3/day) per spread

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Water Sources

• Less than 10% of unfrozen volume to be withdrawn in any year according to DFO Protocol

• Water withdrawal volume will typically be much less than 10% allowable

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Water Sources

• Available lake volumes supported by bathymetric studies • Lakes to be used for winter road construction will only be

used 1-2 years • Certain lakes will be used during all four years to support

camps and summer construction

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Waste Management

• Waste Management Plan: – describes the types of waste generated by

the project, its storage, handling and disposal

• Spill Contingency Management Plan: – describes procedures to prevent and

manage spills of deleterious substances • Explosives Management Plan:

– describes procedures to store, handle and use explosives

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Domestic Waste

• Sewage and greywater will be temporarily stored at camp and removed using vacuum trucks to Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik

• Non-hazardous solid waste will be incinerated or brought to landfills in Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk (agreements in place)

• Recyclables will be disposed of in accordance with the Waste Management Plan

• Water quality and effluent standards do not

apply to project domestic waste, as it will be disposed of in licenced facilities able to accept such waste

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Hazardous Waste

• Hazardous materials have been identified and will be disposed of in accordance with the Waste Management Plan

• Water quality and effluent standards do not apply to project hazardous waste, as it will be disposed of in licenced facilities able to accept such waste

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Wastewater

• There are no planned effluent sources associated with the project - no discharges of waste where treatment is required prior to discharge to the environment [NWTWA 14(4)(c)]

• Construction methods and

mitigations are intended to prevent entry of wastewater to waterbodies and watercourses so as to maintain existing water quality [NWTWA 14(4)(c)]

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Wastewater

• Inadvertent or unplanned entry of wastewater to waterbodies and watercourses may occur: – During construction of watercourse crossings – During borrow source development – During blasting – During camp operation – During embankment construction

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Wastewater • Methods to prevent wastewater from entering waterbodies

and watercourses are included in the: – Sedimentation and Erosion Control Plan – Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Plan – Spill Contingency Management Plan – Pit Development Plans

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Changes to Water Quality and Quantity

• Any changes to water quality due to inadvertent discharge of waste to water will be identified using methods identified in the Aquatic Effects Monitoring Plan (AEMP)

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Changes to Water Quality and Quantity

• Changes to water quantity due to planned withdrawal of water will be monitored using methods identified in the AEMP

• Planned discharge of waste to the environment includes the channeling of meltwater from borrow sources to surrounding vegetation to prevent entry into waterbodies or watercourses

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Aquatic Effects Monitoring

• The objective of the AEMP are: – to monitor and report on the effectiveness of mitigations

that are designed to prevent discharge of waste to the environment

– to measure and report on the effects of water withdrawal on lake water quantity

– to identify improvements in mitigations techniques that will make them more effective

に Visual monitoring of all work areas will be conducted daily by project personnel and Environmental Monitors

に Frequency and location of sampling has been proposed in AEMP, and will be discussed further with regulators

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Aquatic Effects Monitoring • Additionally, the following quantitative monitoring is proposed:

Residual Effect to be Monitored Indicators

Effect to water quality from watercourse crossing construction

pH, turbidity, conductivity, TSS

Effect to water quality from borrow source development pH, turbidity, conductivity, TSS, ammonia, nitrates, oil and grease

Effect to water quality from camp operation pH, turbidity, conductivity, oil and grease

Effect to water quality from embankment construction pH, turbidity, conductivity, TSS

Effect to water quality from use of explosives pH, ammonia, nitrates, oil and grease

Effects on hydrology from water withdrawal Lake level

Effects on fish habitat from water withdrawal Dissolved oxygen

Effects on hydrology and fish habitat from water withdrawal Daily withdrawal volume

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Consultation

Consultation / Meeting Topics Participants Sediment and Erosion Control Plan, including monitoring IHTC, THTC, FJMC, DFO

Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Plan DFO Fisheries Plan IHTC, THTC, FJMC, DFO Pit Development Plans IHTC, THTC, ILA, AANDC Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat Protection Plan IHTC, THTC, WMAC, ENR, EC Wildlife Effects Monitoring Program IHTC, THTC, WMAC, ENR Construction Plan, including water withdrawal locations,

camp locations, winter roads, storage and maintenance

areas

IHTC, THTC

Navigable watercourses IHTC, THTC Crossing locations and designs, impacts to fisheries IHTC, THTC, FJMC, DFO Pre-construction bathymetric surveys, wildlife surveys,

fisheries assessments

IHTC, THTC, ENR, DFO

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Other Users

The DOT has not entered into any compensation agreements pursuant to section 14(4)(a) of the Act:

• There are no existing licencees who

will be adversely affected, in a significant way by the project’s use of water or deposit of waste

ふIﾗﾐデｷﾐ┌WSぐぶ

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Other Users

(…continued) • All non-hazardous solid waste and sewage and greywater

will be deposited at licenced facilities • Project mitigations are intended to prevent other deposit

of waste to water • Use of water from the Mackenzie River will not affect other

licence holders

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Other Users

The DOT has not entered into any compensation agreements pursuant to section 14(4)(b) of the Act: • There are no other licencees, users, or

other rights holders might be adversely affected by the project’s use of waters or deposit of waste

• There are no planned deposits of waste, other than at licenced municipal facilities; discharge of waste will be inadvertent

(continued…)

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Other Users

• Mitigations in the project’s Environmental Management Plan (EMP) are intended to minimize waste and to prevent this waste from entering water

• The EMP provides response actions to address inadvertent or accidental discharges

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Other Users

• The EIRB’s recommendations for preventing significant adverse effects to muskrats are included in the Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat Protection Plan

• Concerns have been raised regarding the project’s potential impacts to muskrat from water withdrawal

• Not all lakes proposed for water withdrawal will contain muskrat pushups

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Other Users

• The specific location and harvest data pertaining to muskrats in this area is unknown

• The magnitude of adverse impact to muskrat harvest from project water withdrawal is expected to be low to none

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Other Users

• DOT will conduct pre-construction muskrat surveys each year

• DOT will implement the monitoring program as outlined in the framework AEMP

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Other Users

• DOT will review the results of the monitoring with regulators and the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Corridor Working Group to determine whether any mitigations need to be revised prior to each years’ winter construction

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Concluding Remarks

• DOT is seeking a 5 year licence

• DOT has met all of the conditions of 14(4) of the Act

• DOT commits to conducting an annual review of the AEMP and other management plans

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Quyanainni – Thank You

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