environmental considerations for transportation ... 4 - collen. cea... · environmental...

Environmental Considerations for Transportation Construction and Maintenance Projects in AlbertaPRESENTED BY: COLLEN MIDDLETONApril 1, 2019

___Environmental Considerations

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O U T L I N E

• Why consider the environment?

• When to engage with an environmental consultant?

• Design-build bid pursuit from the environmental perspective

• Provincial regulatory environment

• Operational environmental issues overview


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W H Y C O N S I D E R T H E E N V I R O N M E N T ?

• Comply with regulatory requirements and legally binding commitments.

• Avoid costly administrative penalties, fines, reputational risks and construction delays.

• Proponents develop land that must be reclaimed after a disturbance ceases and returned to the landowner.

• Protect the public interest.

• Maintain social license to operate.


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W H E N T O E N G A G E A N E N V I R O N M E N TA L C O N S U LTA N T

• Development of the basic design schedule.

• Iterations of design based on:

• environmental constraints

• Outcomes of environmental assessment

• Public consultation

• Regulatory drivers


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B I D P U R S U I T S

Scope of the project• Scale • Duration • Location (remote/urban,

political location)• Project value• Proximity to

environmental receptors• Relevant jurisdiction


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I N V O LV E M E N T I N T H E B I D P U R S U I T ?

Stakeholders

• Collaboration

• Social license to operate

• Regulatory environment

Economics

• Operating costs

• Profit margins

• Shareholder obligations

___Environmental Consideration

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I N V O LV E Y O U R E N V I R O N M E N TA L C O N S U LTA N T AT E V E R Y S TA G E !

Design-Build Project

Opportunity

SOQ / Join Bid-Pursuit

Team

Compile Environmental Information & Requirements

Conduct Gap Analysis

Scope Environmental

Work

Expert Cost Adjustment

Negotiate Contract

Win Project and Initiate Early Works

Basic Design Services

(Fixed Fee or T&M)

Environmental Services During

Construction (T&M)


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W E ’ V E G O T A C O N T R A C T – W H AT ’ S T H E P R O B L E M ? !

• Expect that the design-build contract will defer the navigation of the regulatory process to the proponent, even when the owner is Public.

• Get consultant opinions on:

• relevant permits/approvals, as they change periodically.

• schedule related issues associated with biophysical survey timing windows and migratory bird seasons.

• air monitoring equipment selection and monitoring programs.

• wetland assessment requirements.

• watercourse crossing assessment requirements.

• application review periods at various regulatory agencies.

• Etc.


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T H I S I S D E S I G N - B U I L D ! W H O ’ S D R I V I N G T H E B U S ? !

• Multiple regulatory agencies at multiple levels of jurisdiction prior to breaking ground, and during construction

• Municipal – Transportation, Infrastructure, Parks/Environment

• Provincial – Transportation, Environment

• Federal – Transportation, Environment


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T H E C O N S U LT I N G P R O J E C T F U N D A M E N TA L S

Project Management Fundamentals

Scope (and Quality) – Schedule (Timeline) – Budget (Cost)


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W E ’ V E G O T A C O N T R A C T – W H AT ’ S T H E P R O B L E M ? !

• Even projects deemed to be in the public’s best interest are not immune from construction-phase opposition.

• Recreational use (wetlands, parks)

• Wildlife conservation (migratory birds, raptors, large mammals)

• Weed infestations

• Dust

• Noise

• Visual Aesthetics

• Erosion and sedimentation

• Clubroot transmission

• Reclamation Liability

• EH&S, Hazmat (building materials), existing contaminated sites.

• Historical Resources

• Accidents & Malfunctions (leaks, spills, failures)


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C L U B R O O T


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C L U B R O O T

No Clubroot

1 - 9 fields

10 - 49 fields

> 50 fields

2014 2018


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C L U B R O O T

• Clubroot• clubroot detection soil sampling program

• complex landowner access

• financially and politically sensitive

• livelihoods at stake

• results confidential – potential impact to property values and interpersonal relationships within counties.


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E R O S I O N A N D S E D I M E N T C O N T R O L


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E R O S I O N A N D S E D I M E N T C O N T R O L

• Keep the clean water clean!• Divert runoff from undisturbed areas away from the work

area

• Prevent erosion at the source• Sediment control is the insurance policy

• Having an ESC Plan allows proactive approach.• Demonstrates and documents reasonable care

• Reduces unanticipated situations or events.

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Wetland mitigation hierarchy: Strongly supports avoidance of

wetland impacts as the primary and preferred response

Impacts should be minimized where complete avoidance is not possible

Impacted or lost wetland functions are to be replaced (compensated for) where minimization efforts are not feasible or prove ineffective.

AVOID

MINIMIZE

REPLACE

Environmental ConsiderationsW E T L A N D S

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Water Act• Activities in water bodies

Public Lands Act• Activities on Crown

lands

EPEA• Protection,

enhancement, wise use of air, land and water

Wetland

Management


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AEP January 2018


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Environmental ConsiderationsB R E E D I N G / M I G R AT O R Y B I R D S

___ ___Federal and Provincial Acts that Protect Birds, Nests and YoungMigratory Birds Convention Act (MBCA); Federal

• Prohibits incidental take: inadvertent harming, killing, disturbance or destruction of migratory birds, nests and their eggs

• Regulations do not allow for incidental take authorization or permits

• As per Subsection 7(1) of the MBCA; Offences may result in fines or imprisonment

Species at Risk Act (SARA); Federal• Protect endangered or threatened species

• Prohibits the killing, harming or harassing of listed species; the damage and destruction of their residences; and the destruction of critical habitat

Alberta Wildlife Act (AWA); Provincial• Restricts disturbance to prescribed wildlife house, nest or den

• “A person shall not wilfully molest, disturb or destroy a house, nest or den of prescribed wildlife…”.

• Prescribed wildlife include raptors, corvids, upland game birds, cormorants, pelicans, kingfishers, and some blackbirds

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___ ___

• Regulatory Recommendations

• Avoid activities during the nesting period, e.g., clear vegetation outside nesting period

• If disturbance necessary, take precautions to avoid harm to nests

• Simple habitats only for nesting surveys; complex habitats remain at higher risk despite nest surveys

• Follow regulatory guidelines when establishing setbacks around active nests

• Active nest protected until the young have fledged.

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___ ___

• Setback Buffers Surrounding Nests

• Dependent on species, habitat, and type of work

• Sensitive species: regulatory recommendations for setbacks

• Non-sensitive species: 30 m (songbirds) to 100 m (waterfowl)

• Construction may have to halt until young have fledged

• Case-by-case decision making around risk tolerance, use of marshaling and bird monitoring.

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