Fraser River Pile & Dredge Ltd. operates an aggregate and bulk material handling facility on the Fraser River, at No.5 Road, Richmond. Logistical operations associated with a barge ramp required expanded capability to stage materials. The expansion in the staging area required the filling of a moorage basin.
Fraser River Pile & Dredge Ltd. retained Envirowest to navigate the permitting process of the Fraser River Estuary Management Program and to obtain approvals, as required, from member agencies. In this regard, as there was a ‘harmful alteration, disruption and destruction’ of fish habitat, Envirowest obtained a Section 35(2) Fisheries Act Authorization from Fisheries and Oceans Canada for the project.
Envirowest designed compensation fish habitats that offset impacts to habitats attributable to the project. A large intertidal basin was constructed, which encapsulated channel, sandflat, marsh and riparian habitats. We managed the contract for construction and monitored construction activities to ensure adherence to design and mitigation of impacts to existing habitats and water quality. Envirowest conducted post-construction monitoring to assess the performance of habitats; as per the requirement of the Authorization, compensation habitats are ‘functioning as intended’.