Hatfield Consultants was contracted recently to provide environmental support to the Snye River, a short waterway that once linked the Clearwater River to the Athabasca River in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
An Environmental Construction Operations (ECO) Plan was developed for the project to highlight the environmental sensitivities, regulatory requirements, and erosion and sediment control mitigation to be put in place on the job site.
In accordance to the ECO Plan, Hatfield assisted in the effective deployment of turbidity curtains to isolate the dredging zone and insured no environmental impacts occurred outside of this zone. This isolation initiated a fish salvage which successfully removed fish species from within the zone prior to construction.
During construction, Hatfield provided construction monitoring support relating to regulatory requirements and the ECO Plan; water quality monitoring; and acted as the Qualified Aquatic Environmental Specialists (QAES) during instream activities.
The results of the monitoring determined effective installation of the turbidity curtains, as no environmental impacts were reported in the surrounding area due to dredging of the Snye River.
Overall, the project in 2017 was completed in 22 days of work, effectively removing over 5000m³ of sediment from the rivers, and allowing for continued and improved navigation for the residents of Fort McMurray, as this is a popular recreational and boat launch area.
Hatfield will continue to provide environmental support to Consun Contracting Ltd. on this project over the next 4 years.
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