Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt Wood Waste Remediation Project - Esquimalt Harbour

The Department of National Defence (DND), which administers Esquimalt Harbour in British Columbia, is planning to implement Phase 1 of a remediation and risk management project in the northern portion of the harbour called the Wood Waste Remediation Project.

Due to various historical log booming and wood milling activities, wood waste has accumulated on the sea floor of the harbour which has negatively impacted the marine benthic community through physical alteration of the substrate and creation of toxic byproducts via anaerobic decomposition. The natural recovery time of benthic communities impacted by wood waste has been estimated to be unacceptably long and deemed insufficient to address existing and future negative effects to the benthic community. Therefore, DND is proposing the placement of remedial material over approximately 139,130 m² of wood waste within portions of the Project Site where wood waste coverage is greater than 25%, and impacts to the benthic community are known to occur. Post-placement monitoring will be conducted, and it is expected that the Project will result in a healthier benthic community and greater ecological function than is currently present in northern Esquimalt Harbour.

Latest update

December 23, 2025— The authorities issued their Notice of Determination and determined that the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

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Key documents

Key documents
Document number Document title File Date
2 Notice of Determination - December 23, 2025
1 Public Comment Period on Intent to Make a Determination - September 25, 2025

Contacts

Becky MacInnis
Department of National Defence
Becky MacInnis, Environment Officer / MARPAC Formation Safety and Environment
Formation Safety and Environment, Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt
PO Box 17000 Stn Forces
Victoria, British Columbia V9A 7N2
Email: Becky.MacInnis@forces.gc.ca


Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

  • Location

    • Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt (British Columbia)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Ports and Harbours
    • Remediation and conservation

  • Assessment Status

    Completed

  • Start Date

    2025-08-26

  • Proponent

    Department of National Defence

  • Authorities

    • Department of National Defence
    • Fisheries and Oceans Canada

  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference Number

    89847

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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