Campbell River Small Craft Harbour (Fisherman's Wharf) Remediation and Tidal Boat Grid Removal

December 22, 2023 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada Regional Office of Environmental Coordination must decide whether the proposed removal of a tidal boat grid and sediment remediation at Campbell River Small Craft Harbour  will have a significant impact and are likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this decision Fisheries and Oceans Canada is inviting comments from the public on the project and its potential effects on the environment. All comments received will be considered public [and may be posted online]. For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.

Written comments must be submitted by January 20, 2024 to:

Paddy McManus
401 Burrard Street Suite 200, BC. V6C 3L6

paddy.mcmanus@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Project Summary

The Project is located on the eastern shore in the town of Campbell River, BC. Work to decommission the southeast corner tidal boat grid and conduct partial remediation at the Campbell River Small Craft Harbour (Fisherman's Wharf) falls within the mandate of the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan to reduce environmental and human health risks from known federal contaminated sites.

Tidal grids were typically used for vessel maintenance during low tide periods and these maintenance activities had the potential to introduce contamination into the surrounding sediments. Previous Environmental Site Assessments found Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and metals exceedances within the area of the boat grid and along the western edge of the harbour.

The boat grid will be disassembled with handheld power tools and a land based excavator and/or crane. The boat grid is approximately 15m x 12m.

Remediation will address contamination in the sediments around the area of the existing boat grid at the south end of the harbour, with a potential for also removing sediment along the western edge of the harbour if time and budget allow. It is estimated that 180 cubic meters of sediment will be excavated from the southeastern area and up to 200 cubic meters from the western section of the harbour. Sediment excavation will be completed with clamshell dredging equipment and crane or excavator.  Armouring will be placed along the excavations to stabilize the slope.

The sediment will be disposed of at an offsite land based disposal facility qualified to accept contaminated media above industrial provincial guidelines.  

Work is expected to start in late January or early February 2024 and take 10 days.

Project Locations

Fisherman's Wharf, Campbell River Small Craft Harbour, Harbour Authority. 705 Island Highway, Campbell River BC

50.022031, -125.237686