Science Response 2012/018

Review of an Environmental Assessment for a Wharf Dredging Project in Sydney Harbour

Context

Fisheries and Oceans Canada's (DFO) Habitat Management Division, Maritimes Region, is participating in an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposed dredging of approximately 160,000 cubic meters of contaminated sediments immediately in front of Provincial Energy Venture’s (PEV) existing wharf in Sydney Harbour, Nova Scotia, to determine if the project is likely to result in negative impacts to fish and fish habitat. As a responsible authority under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, DFO is required to assess and make a determination of the significance of the environmental effects associated with the project. DFO’s Ecosystem Management Branch requested that DFO Science review the draft EA and address some specific questions.

Advice provided by DFO Science will be used by DFO’s Habitat Management Division to meet its regulatory requirements under the Fisheries Act and Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. DFO Science advice will be shared with the other federal (Transport Canada, Environment Canada, Public Works and Government Services, and Health Canada) and provincial (Nova Scotia Department of the Environment) departments involved in the EA. Environment Canada may use the advice in support of their regulatory requirements under Section 36 of the Fisheries Act.

The specific questions to DFO Science were:

• What are the potential risks to fish health associated with the resuspension of contaminated sediments identified in the EA (Appendix C) and with the decanting of water at the site of the confined disposal facility?
• Are there any mitigation measures that should be considered in addition to those that are proposed to address contaminated sediments, water quality, and fish health?
• Are there any monitoring components and analyses that should be incorporated into the environmental effects monitoring plan to address contaminated sediments, water quality, and fish health?

This Science Response report is from the regional Science Special Response Process (SSRP) of May 2012 on the Review of an Environmental Assessment for a Wharf Dredging Project in Sydney Harbour.

DFO’s SSRP was used to review the EA and provide input due to the short deadline for advice and the fact that the advice will contribute to a broader Canadian Environmental Assessment Act process. 

Complete document (PDF, 88 KB)

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