Disposal at sea permit PYR-00158-1

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Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to section 127 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), disposal at sea permit no. PYR-00158-1 authorizing the loading for disposal and the disposal of waste or other matter at sea is approved. The permit is published on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act Registry on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. All documents referenced in this permit are available upon request by email at ec.immersionenmerrpy disposalatseapyr.ec@canada.ca.

1. Permittee: Valley Towing Ltd., New Westminster, British Columbia.

2. Waste or other matter to be disposed of: dredged material.

2.1. Nature of waste or other matter: dredged material consisting of rock, gravel, sand, silt, clay, and wood waste or material typical to the approved loading site, except logs and usable wood. The permittee shall ensure that:

  1. every effort is made to prevent the deposition of log bundling strand into waste or other matter approved for loading and disposal at sea and/or remove log bundling strand from waste or other matter approved for loading and disposal at sea

  2. the percent volume of wood waste in the dredge material is visually estimated at the time of dredging and shall be included in the written report mentioned in paragraph 14.2.

3. Duration of permit: the permit is valid from June 22, 2021, to June 21, 2022.

4. Loading sites:

  1. various approved sites in the Fraser River Estuary, British Columbia, at approximately 49.19833° N, 123.13133 W North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83)

  2. various approved sites in Howe Sound, British Columbia, at approximately 49.49700° N, 123.30400° W (NAD83)

  3. various approved sites in Vancouver Harbour, British Columbia, at approximately 49.31167° N, 123.13333° W (NAD83)

5. Disposal site:

  1. Point Grey Disposal Site, within a 1-nautical-mile radius of 49.25666° N, 123.36500° W (NAD83).

  2. Watts Point Disposal Site, within a 0.25-nautical-mile radius of 49.64166° N, 123.23500° W (NAD83).

6. Method of loading: loading will be carried out using a barge-mounted excavator or a clamshell dredge.

7. Route to disposal site and method of transport: most direct navigational route from the loading sites to the disposal sites via towed scow.

8. Method of disposal: disposal will be carried out by bottom dumping or end dumping.

9. Total quantity to be disposed of: not to exceed 20 000 cubic metres, place measure.

10. Fees: the fee prescribed by the Disposal at Sea Permit Fee Regulations shall be paid by the permittee in accordance with those regulations as modified according to the provisions of the Service Fees Act. The applicable fee rates for April 1, 2020, are in effect for the duration of this permit.

11. The permittee shall obtain from the permit-issuing office a letter of confirmation for each loading and disposal activity prior to undertaking the work and shall conduct these activities in accordance with the relevant letter of confirmation. The permittee shall follow the procedures outlined in the document titled “Disposal at Sea - Multi Site Dredge Standard Procedures” (March 2021).

12. Inspection:

12.1. Pursuant to Part 10 of CEPA, the permittee and its contractors are subject to inspection by enforcement officers designated under CEPA.

12.2. The permittee shall ensure that records of all loading and disposal activities are kept on site for the duration of the permit and are available for inspection by any enforcement officer or analyst, for 2 years following the expiry of the permit.

12.3. Ships operating under the authority of this permit shall carry and display a radar-reflecting device at all times mounted on the highest practical location.

13. Contractors:

13.1. The loading or disposal at sea referred to under this permit shall not be carried out by any person without written authorization from the permittee.

13.2. The permittee shall ensure that all persons involved in the loading, transport or disposal activities authorized by this permit conduct these activities in accordance with the relevant permit conditions.

14. Reporting and notification:

14.1. The permittee must provide the following information at least 48 hours before loading and disposal activities commence: name or identification number of ships, platforms or structures to be used to carry out the loading and/or disposal, name of the contractor including corporate and on-site contact information, and expected period of loading and disposal activities. The above-noted information must be submitted to the following:

For the Department of the Environment:

Department of the Environment
Pacific and Yukon Region
101–401 Burrard St
Vancouver BC  V6C 3R2

Fax: 604-666-9059
Email: ec.immersionenmerrpy-disposalatseapyr.ec@canada.ca

For the representatives of potentially affected First Nations:

  1. Yeganeh Asadian
    Environmental Stewardship Manager
    Musqueam Indian Band
    6735 Salish Dr
    Vancouver BC  V6N 4C4

    Fax: 604-263-4212
    Email: engage@musqueam.bc.ca

  2. Aaron Marchant
    Referrals Analyst - Rights and Title
    Squamish Nation
    415 West Esplanade
    North Vancouver BC  V7M 1A6

    Fax: 604-982-0515
    Email: consultation@squamish.net

  3. Cora den Hartigh
    Referrals Analyst
    Tsleil-Waututh Nation
    3178 Alder Crt
    North Vancouver BC  V7H 2V6

    Fax: 604-929-4158
    Email: referrals@twnation.ca

14.2. The permittee shall submit a written report to the minister, as represented by the regional director of the Environmental Protection Operations Directorate, Pacific and Yukon Region, within 30 days after the expiry of the permit. This report shall contain the following information: a list of all work completed pursuant to the permit, including the location of the loading and disposal sites used, the quantity of matter disposed of at the disposal sites and the dates on which disposal activities occurred. The report shall be sent to the regional director at any of the following coordinates:

Regional Director
c/o Jade Shiller
Environmental Protection Operations Directorate
Pacific and Yukon Region
101-401 Burrard St
Vancouver BC  V6C 3R2

Fax: 604-666-6800
Email: ec.immersionenmerrpy-disposalatseapyr.ec@canada.ca

14.3. At all times, a copy of this permit and of documents and drawings referenced in this permit shall be available at the loading site and on all powered ships directly engaged in the loading and disposal operations.

15. Special precautions:

15.1. The permittee shall submit a written dredged material disposal plan to the minister, as represented by the regional director of the Environmental Protection Operations Directorate, Pacific and Yukon Region, identified in paragraph 14.2., for approval by the Department of the Environment prior to the commencement of the first dredging operation authorized by this permit. The plan shall address procedures to accurately measure or estimate quantities of dredged material disposed of at the disposal sites, vessel tracking, and a schedule for use of the disposal sites. Modifications to the plan shall be made only with the written approval of the Department of the Environment.

15.2. The loading and disposal at sea referred to under this permit shall be carried out in accordance with the mitigation measures summarized in the document titled “Environmental Protection Plan - Valley Towing Ltd - Permit PYR-00158-01” (April 2021).

15.3. Potentially affected First Nations listed in paragraph 14.1. shall be notified of any modifications to the environmental protection plan.

15.4 The permittee shall send all project-related notifications to First Nations identified in paragraph 14.1.

15.5 The permittee shall ensure that dredging, transportation and disposal activities do not impede Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s authorized food, social and ceremonial fisheries for Indigenous Peoples.


Gevan Mattu
Acting Regional Director
Environmental Protection Operations Directorate
Pacific and Yukon Region

On behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Signed on May 28, 2021

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