Former Tipple Mine Site Reclamation and Remediation Program

1
Former Tipple Mine Site Reclamation and
Remediation Program

• Presentation to Canmore Town Council
• March 13, 2007

2
Presentation Overview

• Project History, Development and Objectives
• Reclamation and Remediation Proposals
• Construction Issues/Impacts
• Access
• Noise/Disruption/Dust
• Pathways
• Wildlife
• Public Consultation Activity and Responses to
  Date
• Upcoming Activity

3
Project History and Development

• Coal tars are a waste generated by a coke oven
  that operated during the sixties.
• Coal tars discovered at depth during a sewer line
  installation in 1998.
• A series of eight intrusive investigations and
  assessments were completed between 1998 and 2005,
  all undertaken in consultation with Alberta
  Environment.
• Ultimately lead to the site management plan that
  has been proposed.
• AMEC is working for McDermott International, the
  company that holds responsibility for some of the
  legacies at the site.

4
Project Objectives

• Re-establish a vegetative cover that is
  consistent with the sites use as a wildlife
  corridor.
• Address the materials on-site that are a legacy
  of the former processing operations.

5
Proposal Overview Reclamation

• Guided by the requirements of the Conservation
  Easement that applies to the property. The
  reclamation proposal involves
• Importing the subsoil and topsoil required to
  support a vegetative cover on the property
• Planting white spruce and trembling aspen
  seedlings over about 40 of the property that
  will eventually provide hiding cover for wildlife
  (e.g., elk) and
• Planting native grass species over the balance of
  the property.
• The plan would involve maintaining the existing
  pathway system largely as it presently appears
  following reclamation.

6
(No Transcript)
7
Proposal Overview Remediation

• The proposed remediation plan involves managing
  the coal tars by
• Removing the contaminated sediments that are
  present in the Bow River channel immediately
  adjacent to the site
• Constructing a subsurface barrier that would
  separate the on-shore tars from the local river
  ecosystem
• Placing bank erosion protection works over the
  portion of the barrier running along the rivers
  edge and
• Installing a groundwater testing system that
  would monitor the performance of the subsurface
  barrier.

8
(No Transcript)
9
General Site Perspective Following Reclamation
10
Construction Issues/Impacts

• Access
• Noise/disruption/dust
• Pathways
• Wildlife

11
Construction Issues/Impacts Access

• Proceeding on basis that site will be accessed
  from the south.
• Will develop a project-specific, temporary access
  that will be reclaimed to current conditions.
• Requires approvals from the landowner (Three
  Sisters) and the Town (pathway interactions).
• Currently preparing detailed drawing/specification
  addressing alignment, surfacing, pathway
  interactions, fencing, access control and
  reclamation.

12
Construction Issues/Impacts Noise/Disruption/Dus
t

• Use south access to minimize impacts on
  Homesteads infrastructure.
• To extent possible, will limit contractorworking
  hours to the regular workingday. Subsurface
  barrier constructionwill likely require weekend
  work overabout a three-week period.
• A dust mitigation program will be inplace (i.e.,
  vehicle movementprotocols, water applications).
• Access and contaminant control protocols will be
  applied (e.g., control of personnel and public
  access, vehicle monitoring and cleaning).

13
Construction Issues/Impacts Pathways

• Continuity will be maintained during
  construction.
• Continuity maintained by
• Temporary re-locations
• Controlled crossings (e.g., southern access
  crossing staffed by flag person whenever work
  underway) and
• Pathways will be returned to current alignment
  and condition following construction.

14
Construction Issues/Impacts Wildlife

• Working with ASRD to ensure access maintained
  during construction (thus far, ASRD advises that
  if pathway continuity is maintained, wildlife
  should be OK).
• Incorporating features into river berm and/or
  adjacent slopes to facilitate wildlife movements
  post construction.

15
Consultation Activity

• Introductory letters and information packages
  mailed to all property owners in the Homesteads.
• Released same information to the Outlook and the
  Leader.
• Responsed to phone and email inquiries.
• Compiled on-line survey responses.
• Initiated detailed planning for an Open House.

16
Consultation Overview of Response to Date

• Have received
• Six on-line surveys
• Five phone messages
• One email and
• Two press inquiries (from the Outlook and
  Canadian Press).
• All on-line survey responses supported the
  project, three strongly some with qualifications
  or concerns (primarily access).
• One respondent provided a list of detailed
  technical questions responses will be posted to
  the project website.
• The phone and email messages posed specific
  questions few common themes responses provided
  by phone or email.

17
Upcoming Activity

• Open House (currently scheduled for April 18).
• Continue responding to public inquiries/concerns.
• Submission of all permit applications.
• Continuation of detailed planning and design.
• Targeting tender-ready bid package by late May,
  early June.