Technical Assessment for Authorization to Discharge Waste Report

TECHNICALASSESSMENTFOR

AUTHORIZATIONTODISCHARGEWASTE

SubmittedTo:

BCMINISTRYOFENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENTALMANAGEMENTBRANCH

PreparedFor:

SOUTHISLANDAGGREGATESLTD.PreparedBy: ReviewedBy: MattPye,P.Eng. DavidKneale,P.Geo.Principal,Hydrogeologist Principal,Hydrogeologist

ReviewedBy: ReviewedBy: JeffTaylor,P.Eng. DavidMitchell,P.Eng.,CSAPPrincipal,SeniorEngineer Principal,SeniorEngineer

ProjectNumber:320August2012

SouthIslandAggregatesLtd. August2012ApplicationforAuthorizationtoDischargeWasteTechnicalAssessment AEFile#320

TABLEOFCONTENTS

1.0 Introduction............................................................................................................1

1.1 Objectives............................................................................................................11.2 ScopeofWork.....................................................................................................21.3 OverviewofProposedFacility............................................................................31.4 BenefitsofProposedFacility..............................................................................5

2.0 SiteDescription.......................................................................................................7

2.1 LocationandTopography...................................................................................72.2 Legal....................................................................................................................72.3 Geology...............................................................................................................82.4 Hydrogeology......................................................................................................92.5 Climate................................................................................................................92.6 SurroundingLandUse.......................................................................................112.7 DistancestoNearestSchools,HospitalsandCareFacilities.............................13

3.0 ReceivingEnvironment.........................................................................................15

3.1 SoilConditions..................................................................................................153.2 Hydrogeology....................................................................................................163.3 NearbyDrinkingWater,Irrigation,andLivestockWells...................................213.4 ApplicableCSRSiteSpecificFactors.................................................................243.5 HydrologyofWaterDischargeLocation...........................................................253.6 EnvironmentalMonitoringPlan........................................................................273.7 CumulativeEffectsfromOtherDischargesintheArea....................................29

4.0 SourceMaterial.....................................................................................................30

4.1 ContaminantsofConcern.................................................................................304.2 MaximumConcentrations................................................................................314.3 ConfirmationSoilisNotHazardousWaste.......................................................344.4 QA/QCofIncomingSoilQuality........................................................................364.5 HoldingCellforSuspect/RejectSoil..................................................................384.6 SoilAcceptancePlan.........................................................................................38

5.0 SoilDischarge........................................................................................................40

5.1 VolumeofSoilPerYearDischarged..................................................................405.2 Concentrations/LevelatDischarge.................................................................415.3 ConcentrationConfirmation.............................................................................42

SouthIslandAggregatesLtd. August2012ApplicationforAuthorizationtoDischargeWasteTechnicalAssessment AEFile#3205.4 SoilDischargeLocation.....................................................................................435.5 PermanentSoilContainmentCellDesign.........................................................445.5.1 BaseLinerSystem.........................................................................................445.5.2 ContainmentCells.........................................................................................485.5.3 FinalCap........................................................................................................485.5.4 LeakDetectionandLeachateCollection.......................................................49

6.0 WaterDischarge...................................................................................................51

6.1 RunoffandLeachateControlMeasures...........................................................516.2 DischargeLocation............................................................................................536.3 WaterQualityatThePointofDischarge..........................................................556.4 ContaminantsofConcerninEffluent...............................................................576.5 StormEventFlows............................................................................................586.6 TreatmentSystemComponents.......................................................................596.7 MaximumDischargeRateandDischargePeriod..............................................626.8 DischargeMonitoringPlan...............................................................................626.8.1 EffluentTreatmentandDischargeMonitoring.............................................636.8.2 ReceivingWaterMonitoring.........................................................................65

6.9 BedrockLeachability.........................................................................................676.10 EffluentPermitFees..........................................................................................68

7.0 OtherDischarges/Nuisances:................................................................................70

7.1 FugitiveDust.....................................................................................................707.2 Odours...............................................................................................................717.2.1 SoiltoAirPartitioning...................................................................................727.2.2 VapourModelling.........................................................................................767.2.3 VapourMonitoring.......................................................................................767.2.4 EncapsulationAreaVapourMonitoring.......................................................797.2.5 VapourMitigationMeasures........................................................................80

7.3 Noise.................................................................................................................81

8.0 Construction/SiteSpecifics.................................................................................82

8.1 BiocellSizes.......................................................................................................828.2 SoilTreatmentAreaLinerandDrainage...........................................................828.3 LeachateDetection...........................................................................................858.4 StormwaterRunoff...........................................................................................868.4.1 OnsiteCollectionandConveyanceSystem.................................................878.4.2 FloodProtection...........................................................................................888.4.3 StormwaterTreatment.................................................................................888.4.4 EnvironmentalConsiderations......................................................................908.4.5 DesignFlowsandStorage.............................................................................90

SouthIslandAggregatesLtd. August2012ApplicationforAuthorizationtoDischargeWasteTechnicalAssessment AEFile#3208.5 Hydrology,LocationsofFloodPlains................................................................928.6 FirstNationsInterests.......................................................................................928.7 Covenants.........................................................................................................93

9.0 Operations............................................................................................................95

9.1 SoilTreatment...................................................................................................959.2 WeatherProtection..........................................................................................979.3 SitePlan/FacilityLayout..................................................................................989.4 OnSiteStaff......................................................................................................999.5 ConfirmationofSoilQuantities......................................................................1009.6 SoilTracking....................................................................................................1009.7 SoilTreatmentTrackingSystem.....................................................................1019.8 InterimTreatmentAssessment......................................................................1029.9 SampleMethods.............................................................................................1039.10 AnalyticalMethods.........................................................................................1039.11 SoilPlacementWithinPermanentEncapsulationArea..................................1049.12 FacilityInspections..........................................................................................1049.13 ReportingtoMOE...........................................................................................104

10.0 SoilAcceptancePlan...........................................................................................105

10.1 WasteApprovalApplication...........................................................................10510.2 SoilReceivingandVerification........................................................................10610.3 ShipmentandTracking...................................................................................10710.4 QA/QCforIncomingSoils...............................................................................10810.5 ProceduresforRemovalofUnacceptableSoils..............................................110

11.0 ConsultationPlan................................................................................................111

12.0 ClosurePlan........................................................................................................112

12.1 FinalCapDesign..............................................................................................11312.2 ClosureMonitoringPlan.................................................................................11612.3 Discussion........................................................................................................117

13.0 EmergencyResponsePlan..................................................................................119

14.0 FinancialSecurity................................................................................................120

15.0 Limitations...........................................................................................................122

SouthIslandAggregatesLtd. August2012ApplicationforAuthorizationtoDischargeWasteTechnicalAssessment AEFile#320ATTACHMENTSFIGURESFigure1 SiteLocationPlan&DrawingIndexFigure2 SurroundingLandUsePlanFigure3 Watershed&TopographyPlanFigure4 Site&SurroundingSurfaceWaterFigure4B GroundwaterFlowDirectionFigure5 RegionalCrossSectionA(NS)Figure6 DetailedCrossSectionB(NS)Figure7 DetailedCrossSectionC(EW)Figure8 SitePlanShowingProposedFacilityFigure8B StormwaterFacilityDetailsFigure8C SurfaceofClayTillBaseofEncapsulationAreaFigure9 SoilManagement/TreatmentAreaTypicalCrossSectionFigure9B WaterTreatmentSystemFigure10 SoilContainmentAreaTypicalCrossSectionFigure10B ContainmentCellTypicalCrossSectionFigure11 FirstLiftQuarryPhasingPlanFigure12 SecondLiftQuarryPhasingPlanFigure13 QuarryPhasingSectionsFigure14 QuarryPhasingSectionsFigure15 ClosurePlanFigureFigure16 CovenantLocationPlanTABLESTable1 AnalyticalResultsinGroundwaterAnions,Nutrients,MicrobiologyTable2 AnalyticalResultsinGroundwaterTotalandDissolvedMetalsTable3 AnalyticalResultsinGroundwaterVolatileOrganicCompoundsTable4 AnalyticalResultsinGroundwaterPolycyclicAromaticHydrocarbonsTable5 AnalyticalResultsinSurfaceWaterAnions,Nutrients,MicrobiologyTable6 AnalyticalResultsinSurfaceWaterTotalandDissolvedMetalsTable7 AnalyticalResultsinSurfaceWaterVolatileOrganicCompoundsTable8 AnalyticalResultsinSurfaceWaterPolycyclicAromaticHydrocarbons

SouthIslandAggregatesLtd. August2012ApplicationforAuthorizationtoDischargeWasteTechnicalAssessment AEFile#320APPENDICESAppendixA MinePermitQ8094AppendixB LandTitleAppendixC PhotographsAppendixD WellLogsExistingWaterSupplyWellsandMonitoringWellsAppendixE MonitoringWellResponseTestsAppendixF LaboratoryAnalyticalReportsAppendixG MinistryofEnvironmentGuidanceDocument#1AppendixH FieldProtocolsAppendixI IDFCurveAppendixJ WasteApprovalApplicationFormAppendixK RestrictiveCovenantforShawniganCreekAppendixL CascadiaBiologicalServicesReportAppendixM EmergencyResponsePlanAppendixN ConsultationReport


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EXECUTIVESUMMARY

ActiveEarthEngineeringLtd.(ActiveEarth)wasretainedbySouthIslandAggregatesLtd.

(SIA)toundertakeaTechnicalAssessmentaspartofanapplicationtotheBCMinistryof

Environment (MOE) for anAuthorization toDischargeWaste. The application ismade

undertheBCEnvironmentalManagementAct(EMA). The intentoftheapplication isto

obtain approval for the development of a facility that is capable of accepting

contaminated soils. There is currently no local facility that services the southern

VancouverIslandRegion.

Thesubjectproperty(theSite) is locatedat640StebbingsRoad,theSouthShawnigan

Lake Area (Electoral Area B)within the Cowichan Valley Regional District. The Site is

approximately5.0 km southof Shawnigan Lake,3.3 kmwestof FinlaysonArm,1.5 km

northofDevereauxLakeand5.5kmeastofSookeLake(Figures1and3).Siteislocatedin

the upper reaches of the south Shawnigan Lake catchment. The area is underlain by

shallowbedrockasexpressedthroughsteepslopesandsignificantrisesinelevation.The

Site comprises a local peak elevation of approximately 340mgeod., and the ground

surfacegenerallyrisestothesouthreachingpeakelevationsof640mgeod.

TheSiteiscurrentlyoperatedasarockquarryunderthejurisdictionoftheBCMinistryof

MinespermitnumberQ8094(includedasAppendixA).Anapplicationisbeingmadeto

modifythereclamationplanintheminingpermitconcurrentlywithanapplicationforan

AuthorizationtoDischargeWaste. Theproposedchanges/authorizationwouldallowfor

contaminatedsoiltobetreatedandpermanentlyencapsulatedontheSiteaspartofthe

minereclamationplan.

Thereare significantbenefits todevelopinga soil treatmentanddisposal facility in the

Southern Vancouver Island area, with implications to local economic, social and

environmental conditions. There is an immediateneed for such a facility toprovide a


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localandcosteffectivesolutionfortheremediationofmanyexistingcontaminatedsites

intheregion, includingunderutilizedbrownfieldsites. Theproposed facilityprovidesa

locallyresponsiblesolutiontoexistingissuesintheregion.

ThisTechnicalAssessmentReport(TAR)characterizesthegeologicalandhydrogeological

conditionsoftheSite,andprovidesadetaileddescriptionoftheproposedsoiltreatment

anddisposal facility. Theproposed facilitywouldonlyaccept contaminated soil that is

nonleachable and at levels below Hazardous Waste. Soils impacted with organic

substancessuitableforbioremediationwouldbetreatedatthefacility,andsoilsimpacted

with inorganic substances would be permanently encapsulated to immobilize the

contaminants.Nodisposalofliquidsorsludgeswillbepermitted.

The hydrogeological conditions at the Site have been evaluated through review of

backgroundsourcesofinformationandobtaininginformationthroughdrillingandtesting

the rockonSite (Figures3,5,6and7). Thereappears tobeastratificationof fracture

density/permeabilitybeneaththeSite.Itmaybepossibletogeneralizethebedrockinto2

distinctlayersasfollows:

UpperBedrockfrom0to75m(0to250ft):Negligiblegroundwaterflow.

DeepBedrockbelow75m(250ft):Minorgroundwaterflow.

Theverylowpermeabilityoftheupperbedrock(K=7.6x1010m/s)providesahighlevel

ofprotectiontothegroundwaterflowwithinthedeepbedrock(K=1.6x107m/s).

SurfacewaterbodiesinthevicinityoftheproposedfacilityincludeShawniganCreekand

itstributaries. ShawniganCreek flowsthroughthe legalparceltotheeastoftheactive

mineandproposedfacility.Allsurfacewater,shallowseepageandpotentialleachatewill

bemanagedwithinthefootprintoftheexistingmineanddischargedtogroundalongthe


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western property line (Figure 8). Background creekwater quality samples have been

takenforestablishingbaselineconditions.

The proposed facilitywould include paved areas formanaging and treating soils,with

surface water and leachate controls including berms, trenches, catchbasins, holding

ponds,treatmentsystemsandmonitoringlocations.Theconceptualdesignofthefacility

includesredundancyinwatertreatmentcapabilitiesandwatermonitoringlocationsprior

todischargetoground(Figures8,9and10). Facilitydesignandoperationwouldaimto

minimizetheproductionof leachatewithintermediatecoversfromsoilwithintheactive

managementandtreatmentareasaswellassoilplacedinpermanentencapsulationcells.

Anyleachategeneratedwouldbecollectedandtreatedpriortodischarge.

The facility would be operated under the direction of a qualified Environmental

Engineering Consultant. The Consultants rolewould include general oversight of the

facility operations, and would ensure soil quality criteria are met through adequate

characterization prior to soils being transported to the facility. The Consultantwould

direct the soil treatmentprocedures, reviewwaterqualitymonitoringdataandprovide

detaileddesignforpermanentencapsulationcells.

Theproposedfacilitycouldoperateforgreaterthan50years,therefore,thenextlanduse

followingclosureisdifficulttopredict.However,theclosureplanincludestheplacement

ofa2mthicksoilcapovertheentirefootprint,withthelower1mofthecapcomprised

of lowpermeability soil to limit the infiltrationofprecipitation. Thecapwouldalsobe

crownedtopromotedrainageawayfromthecentreoftheSite,similartothepremining

conditions. Monitoringofthegroundwater,soilvapourandsurfacewaterqualitywould

beconductedforaminimumof20yearsfollowingclosureofthefacility(Figure15).


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In summary, the location and physical conditions at the Site are well suited for the

proposedfacility.TheSiteislocatedincloseproximitytomanycontaminatedproperties

andwouldserviceexistingandfuturedemands.Thegroundwaterresourcesarelimitedat

theSite,andwellprotectedfromtheproposedfacilitywithalargedepthtogroundwater

andasignificantthicknessofvery lowpermeabilitybedrockatgroundsurfacetoprotect

the underlying bedrock aquifer. Nearby surface water resources would require

appropriatefacilitydesign,operationandmonitoringtoensurenoimpactsoccur.Overall,

the environmental risk posed by the proposed facility, as described in this report, is

consideredtobelow.


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1.0 Introduction

ActiveEarthEngineeringLtd.(ActiveEarth)wasretainedbySouthIslandAggregatesLtd.

(SIA)toundertakeaTechnicalAssessmentaspartofanapplicationtotheBCMinistryof

Environment (MOE) for anAuthorization toDischargeWaste. The application ismade

pursuanttoSection14oftheBCEnvironmentalManagementAct(EMA).

Thesubjectproperty(theSite)islocatedat640StebbingsRoad,intheSouthShawnigan

LakeArea(ElectoralAreaB)withintheCowichanValleyRegionalDistrict(Figure1).

TheSiteiscurrentlyoperatedasarockquarryunderthejurisdictionoftheBCMinistryof

MinespermitnumberQ8094(includedasAppendixA).Anapplicationisbeingmadeto

modifytheminereclamationplan intheminingpermitconcurrentlywithanapplication

for an Authorization to DischargeWaste. The proposed changes/authorizationwould

allow forcontaminatedsoil tobe treatedandpermanentlyencapsulatedon theSiteas

partoftheminereclamationplan.

TheobjectivesofthisTechnicalAssessmentReport(TAR)istocharacterizethegeological

and hydrogeological conditions of the Site, as this is fundamental to assessing the

potential for environmental impacts as a result of the requested authorization. In

additiontodeterminingtheSiteconditions,theTARalsodescribesindetailtheoperations

anddesignoftheproposedsoiltreatmentanddisposalfacility.

1.1 Objectives

TheprimaryobjectivesofthisTechnicalAssessmentaresummarizedasfollows:

Provide a description of the Site and surrounding areawith respect to surface

water,groundwater,landuses,climateandlegal/municipalboundaries;

DeterminethegeologicalandhydrogeologicalconditionsattheSite;


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ProvideabaselineforgroundwaterandsurfacewaterqualityattheSite;

Assess the potential for physical environmental impacts including groundwater,

surfacewater,soil,soilvapourandairqualityasaresultoftheproposedfacility;

Describe the proposed contaminated soil treatment and disposal facility

operationsincluding:

o Soilqualitytobeacceptedandsourcesofcontaminatedsoil;o Soilquantitythatmaybetreatedandpermanentlyencapsulated;o Soilmanagement includingmovement, sampling, temporary storage and

permanentencapsulation;

o Surface water management including protection, diversion, collection,sampling,treatmentandmonitoring;

o Groundwatermonitoring;o Soiltreatmentproceduresandbiocelldesign;o Soildisposalproceduresandpermanentcelldesign;ando Postoperationincludingclosureplanandemergencyresponseplan.

In addition to the abovestated primary objectives, the TAR includes supporting and

additionalinformationrelatedtotheoperationandmanagementoftheproposedfacility

fromdesignthroughclosure.

1.2 ScopeofWork

Thefollowingscopeofworkwasperformedtoaddresstheabovestatedobjectives:

Review of MOE documents pertaining to applications for Authorization to

DischargeWasteundertheEnvironmentalManagementAct(EMA);

MeetingwithBCMinistryofMinesandtheMOEpersonneltodiscusstheprocess

formakinganapplicationforanAuthorizationtoDischargeWasteattheSite;


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Undertaking a desk study to compile and review all available background

information for the Site including legal, climate, topography, geology,

hydrogeology, drainage, surface waters, surrounding land uses, and existing

miningpermits;

Drilling,monitoringwellinstallation,piezometricheadmeasurementandhydraulic

conductivitytestingofthebedrockaquifer;

Groundwaterand surfacewater sampling toestablishbaseline conditionsat the

Site;

Developingfacilitydesigndetails;

Developingfacilityoperationaldetails;

Developingafacilitymonitoringplan;

Developingafacilityclosureplan;

DevelopingafacilityEmergencyResponsePlan;and

PreparingthisTechnicalAssessmentReportfortheSite.

1.3 OverviewofProposedFacility

TheWaste Discharge Application is beingmade for authorization to develop a facility

capableof treating andpermanently immobilizing contaminated soilsoriginating in the

SouthernVancouver Islandarea. Wastematerialsfrom industrialprocessesmayalsobe

acceptedattheproposedfacilityifshowntobenonleachable.

The proposed facility would accept contaminated soils that exceed residential,

commercial and industrial landuse standards asdefinedby theBCContaminated Sites

Regulation(CSR).However,theproposedfacilitywouldnotacceptsoilsthatareleachable

orexceedtheBCHazardousWasteRegulation(HWR)standards.


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Organic/treatable contaminantswouldbe treated/bioremediatedprior toencapsulating

onSite,orshippedoffSiteforreuseifappropriate.Inorganic/untreatablecontaminants

wouldbepermanentlyencapsulatedwithinengineeredcontainmentcells.

The facilitywouldhavea soilmanagementarea comprisedofanasphaltpaved surface

withwatercontrol/collection/treatment infrastructure. Thisareawouldalsobeusedfor

soil treatment, likelywith semipermanent covered sections for soilsmore sensitive to

moisture. The inorganic/untreatable soils and some posttreatment soils would be

permanentlyencapsulatedwithintheengineeredcontainmentcellswithinthefacility.

The facility is envisioned to contain soil management, soil treatment and soil

encapsulation areas at all times during operation. The proposed encapsulation of

contaminatedsoilswillrequireanamendmenttothereclamationplanasindicatedinthe

existingminingpermit(Q8094)fortherockquarry.Contaminatedsoilsareproposedto

be acceptable for backfill of themine pit, and the reclamation activities would be

undertakenconcurrentwiththeminingactivities. Asaresult,thesoilmanagementand

treatmentoperationsmayneed tobemovedas theminingprogressesat theSite. The

mine has an anticipated lifespan of approximately 5060 years, therefore, the facility

operationswillnotrequireregularmovement.

Anappropriategroundwaterand surfacewatermonitoringprogramwouldbe followed

and reporteduponbyaqualifiedprofessional. Surfacewaterandshallowgroundwater

seepage (if present)would bemanaged through diversion, collection,monitoring and

treatmentasnecessarypriortodischarge.

Fugitive dust, noise and odourswill bemonitored and addressed as necessary during

facilityoperation.


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1.4 BenefitsofProposedFacility

ThebenefitsofdevelopingasoiltreatmentanddisposalfacilityintheSouthernVancouver

Islandareaarefarreaching,withimplicationstolocaleconomic,socialandenvironmental

conditions. There isan immediateneed for sucha facility toprovidea localand cost

effectivesolutionfortheremediationofmanyexistingcontaminatedsitesintheregion.

This application rises, in part, from the need for a local solution to facilitate the

remediationofcontaminatedsites.Currently,therearemanycontaminatedsitesthatare

vacant, derelict and/or underutilized because of contamination (ie: Brownfield Sites).

Thecostassociatedwiththeremediationofmanyofthesesitesisprohibitivebecauseof

thelackofalocalcontaminatedsoildisposalfacility.Oftenthecosttodisposeofthesoil

toanapprovedfacility isprohibitivebecauseofsoiltransportationcosts. This isa long

standing obstacle that has been overcome in many cases by the use of onsite risk

managementofcontaminatedsoil. While thiscanbeanacceptablesolution,often it is

preferential(fromanenvironmentalanddevelopmentperspective)todisposeofthesoil

offsite.

Theproposedfacilitywouldenabledevelopmentofmanybrownfieldsites,inadditionto

otherenvironmental,economicandsocialbenefitssuchas:

Enabling cleanupofmore local contaminated sites via full contaminant removal

versusleavingcontaminationinplacewithriskmanagement;

Enablingalocalsolutiontolocalproblems;

Reducedgreenhousegasgenerationby significantly reduced truck travel (50km

roundtripvs.500kmroundtripfromVictoriatocurrentmidIsland locationsfor

example);


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Reducedwearand tearon thehighway systemdue to lower truck travel,along

withbettersocialoutcome(e.g.fewertrafficfatalitieswithtrucks);

Significantsavings toFederal,ProvincialandMunicipal taxpayersduetoreduced

remediationcostson legacysites.Forexample,DNDhasasignificantamountof

remediationplannedinthefuture,muchofwhichwillrequiresoildisposal;

Provides an economically viable solution for the cleanup of local sites

contaminatedbyformerindustrialactivitiessuchastheincinerationofwaste;and

Reductionofhydrocarboncontaminantmass.


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2.0 SiteDescription

Thissectionofthereportprovidespertinentbackground informationrelatedtotheSite

availablefrompublicsourcesofinformation.

2.1 LocationandTopography

TheSite is locatedat640StebbingsRoad in theSouthShawniganLakeAreawithin the

CowichanValleyRegionalDistrict(CVRD)onVancouverIsland,BritishColumbia.TheSite

is approximately 5.0 km south of Shawnigan Lake and 3.3 kmwest of Finlayson Arm.

DevereauxLakeisapproximately1.5kmsouthoftheSiteandSookeLakeisapproximately

5.5kmtothewest(Figure1).

TheexistingmineislocatedintheupperreachesofthesouthShawniganLakecatchment.

The area is underlain by shallow bedrock as expressed through steep slopes and

significantrisesinelevation.ThepeakelevationattheSiteisapproximately340mgeod.

andthegroundsurfacegenerallyrisestothesouth,reachingpeakelevationsof640m

geod.withintheWarwickRange.

2.2 Legal

TheSiteconsistsofasinglelegalparceldescribedasfollows:

PID: 026226502

Legal: Lot23,PlanVIP78459,Blocks156,201and323,MalahatLandDistrict

The current land title is provided in Appendix B. The legal lot boundaries are

superimposedonFigures2,3,4and8.


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2.3 Geology

A review of the Geological SurveyMap 1553A indicates that the Site lies within the

WarwickRangebetweenSaanichinlettotheeast,andShawniganandSookeLakestothe

northandwest.TheunderlyingbedrockisknownasWarkGneiss,amafficunitofanearly

Paleozoicmetamorphic complex. The formation is composed ofmassive and gneissic

metadiorite alongwithmetagabbro and amphibolites. The unit is generally vertically

foliateddipping25degreestothenorthwest.

The ground surface at the Site is an expression of an igneous intrusion of very hard

granitic bedrock that has resisted erosion and resulted in a local, knobshaped,

topographic high. This hard granite rock, aswell as theWarkGneiss, are the source

materialsforthequarry.

ColquitzGneissisfoundtotheeastandwestoftheWarkGneissunit.Thissilicicunitofa

similarPaleozoicperiod is also vertically foliated striking to thenorthwest. Theunit is

composedmainlyofquartzandfeldsparwithlensesofmarbleuptoseveralmetersthick.

Both units are largely cataclastic and exhibit retrograde metamorphism with severe

alteration of themain constituents. Contacts between theWark Gneiss and Colquitz

Gneiss are poorly defined and external contacts are generally faulted and obscure.

Togethertheunitsunderliea10kmwidebeltwhichextendsfromVictoriaandthecoast

to Shawinigan Lake to the north, the units terminate against the San Juan and Survey

MountainFaults.

TherearenofaultsmappedbeneaththeSite.Thenearestfaultislocatedapproximately

3km southwest of the Site, and the next closet fault (the Shawnigan Fault) is located

approximately6kmnorthwestoftheSite.


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2.4 Hydrogeology

ThegroundwaterflowregimeinthevicinityoftheSiteispredominantlyviafracturedflow

withinadeepbedrockaquifer.Limitedoverburdensoilsarepresentintheregion,andare

generally not sufficient for development of overburden aquifers. The BCMinistry of

Environmenthasmapped twobedrockaquifers in the region,asshownofFigure3and

describedbelow:

TheSpectacleLake/MalahatBedrockAquiferislocatedapproximately1kmeastof

theSite,andisratedasmoderateproductivityandlowdemand.

The Shawnigan Lake/CobbleHill BedrockAquifer is located approximately 2 km

northoftheSite,andisratedaslowproductivityandmoderatedemand.

ThereisnobedrockaquifermappedbeneaththeSite.However,thereisthepotentialto

intersectdeepwaterbearing fractureswith sufficientcapacity to servicea residenceas

indicatedbyWell#86152which is locatedontheSiteandservicesthequarryoffice. All

existing water wells from theMOE database, within approximately 5 km of the Site

boundary,areshownofFigure3.

AdetaileddescriptionoftheSitehydrogeologyisprovidedinSection3.2ofthisreport.

2.5 Climate

TheclosestClimateStation(CanadianClimateNormals,19712000)totheSite is located

at Shawnigan Lake. The total annual precipitation recorded at the Shawnigan Lake

Climate Station is approximately1,248mm/yr (1,172 falling as rain and75.5 as snow).

Theaveragemonthlyprecipitationvaries from215mm inNovember to25mm in July.

Themajorityoftheannualprecipitation(approximately80%)fallsbetweenOctoberand

March,andthesummersarerelativelydry.TheShawniganLakeClimateStationislocated


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approximately10kmnorthof theSite,andatanelevationof138mASL. The climate

normalsareprovidedinTableA.

TableA:ShawniganLakeClimateData(19712000)

ClimateData Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total

Rainfall(mm) 172 139 115 65 49 40 25 29 38 104 207 190 1,172

Snowfall(cm) 26.2 16.2 5.6 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0.6 7.5 19.2 75.5

Precipitation(mm) 198 155 120 65 49 40 25 29 38 105 215 209 1,248

DailyAverage(C) 2.7 3.9 5.7 8.4 12 15 17 18 15 9.9 5.4 3 9.6

Aplotoftheclimatedataisprovidedbelow.

0

50

100

150

200

250

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Mon

thly

Pre

cipi

tatio

n (m

m)

Mon

thly

Tem

pera

ture

(deg

rees

C)

Month

Climate Normals - Shawnigan LakeAverage TemperatureAverage Precipitation


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2.6 SurroundingLandUse

SurroundinglandusesareillustratedonFigure2.

TheSitelieswithinanareaprincipallyzonedPrimaryForestryandSecondaryForestry,F1

and F2 respectively. These zones aremainlyused formanagement andharvestingof

primary forestryproducts,silviculture/horticulture,aswellastheextractionofmineral

resources. Thezonesalsoallowforuptotworesidentialdwellingsdependingonparcel

size,andhomebasedbusinesses,includingtheoperationofabedandbreakfast,arealso

acceptable. Secondary forestryallows forallPrimaryForestryuseswith theadditionof

thefollowing:sawmilling,manufacturing,andalldrylogsortingoperations.

The Stebbings Road area is regarded for its production of high grade construction

aggregates,atleastfivequarriescurrentlyexistwithina1.0kmradiusoftheSite.

F1/F2

PrimaryForestry(F1)zonedlandsownedbytheCowichanValleyRegionalDistrict(CVRD)

are located to the immediate north (Unnamed) andwest (Stebbing Road Community

Forest).TheunnamedparceloflandwhichstraddlesShawniganCreekonthewestside

of Stebbings Road includes a linear dedicationwhich runs east across Stebbings Road

paralleltoGoldstreamHeightsDrivewhereitmeetsaprovincialwoodlot. Theunnamed

parcel ispartofa largerplan toconnect theShawnigan lake trailsystem to theCapital

RegionalDistrict(CRD)andTransCanadatrailnetwork.

Aspartofa rezoning theCVRDacquiredaparcelof landnow known as the Stebbings

RoadCommunityForest,whichflankstheSiteonthewestand includesanarrowaccess

corridortoStebbingsRoadalongtheSitessouthpropertyboundary.Priortoitsturnover

totheCVRDtheparcelhadbeenextensivelylogged,andithassincebeenreplantedwith


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theintentofprovidingapotentialsourceoffuturerevenuesimilartotheNorthCowichan

andMapleRidgeCommunityForestinitiatives.

On Stebbings Road, approximately 320m southeast of the Sites quarry operation, a

3.7hectares F1 zoned parcelwith one residential dwelling also sits astride Shawnigan

Creek.Approximately1.2kmsoutheastoftheSite,onGoldstreamHeightsDrive,12lots

rangingfrom2to7hainsizearecurrentlysellingwithinStonecrestEstates,anF2zoned

stratasubdivision.

TothenortheastoftheSite,acrossStebbingsRoadextendingnorthtotheintersectionof

StebbingsandGoldstreamHeightsDrive,are five1haSecondaryForestry (F2)parcels.

These parcels have roughedin roads for access to Goldstream Heights Drive, and a

dwellingunithasbeen recently constructedon thenorthernmostparcelapproximately

350mfromtheSite.

CLS1

Approximately200mtothesouthoftheSite isacomprehensivezonewhichextendsa

further 2.5 km to the south encompassing Devereux Lake and the Shawnigan Creek

headwaters. The zone titled community land stewardship (CLS1) includes fivedistinct

sub zones ranging from Ecological Conservation to Agroforestry. Limited commercial,

communityfacility,andeducationaldevelopmentispermittedwithintheCLS,aswellasa

firehall,guest lodgeand somedegreeof infrastructure to support small scale treetop

accommodationsforecotourism.Thesouthernportionofthesitehasbeenharvestedto

alargeextent.


13

I1a,I1C&I5

Agroupingofvarious light industrialproperties is locatedapproximately900mfromthe

Siteat the intersectionofShawnigan LakeRoad,StebbingsRoadand theE&NRailway.

This Industrial Park consists of uses including but not limited to aggregate and

constructionmaterialsuppliers inadditiontowarehousesandsmallfoodserviceoutlets.

Thezoningallowsforawidevarietyof industrialusesrangingfrom industrialprocessing

torecyclingfacilities.

2.7 DistancestoNearestSchools,HospitalsandCareFacilities

The following Table B summarizes the distance and direction to the nearest schools,

hospitals,andcarefacilities.ItisevidentbasedontheinformationbelowthattheSiteis

relativelyremote. Specifically,thenearestschoolandthenearesthospital/carefacility

are11kmand15kmfromtheSiterespectively.


14

TableB:DistancestoNearestSchools,HospitalsandCareFacilities

PublicFacility Direction Distance

Schools CobbleHillElementary3642LearningWay

S 15km

DiscoveryElementary2204McKeanRd. NNW 11km

WillwayElementary2939Mt.WellsDrive SSE 11.5km

EcoleMillBay3175CobbleHillRoad SSW 13km

SpencerMiddleSchool1026GoldstreamAve. SSE 13.5km

GeorgeBonnerMiddleSchool3060CobbleHillRoad NNE 12.5km

BelmontSecondarySchool3067JacklinRoad SSE 14.5km

FrancesKelseySecondarySchool953Shawnigan/MillBayRd. NNE 11.5km

GeorgeBonnerMiddleSchool3060CobbleHillRoad NNE 12.5km

HospitalsCowichanDistrictHospital3045Gibbins. NNW 27km

PrioryHospital567Goldstream SSE 15km

VictoriaGeneralHospital1HospitalWay. SE 16km

CareFacilitiesPriory(Hiscock&HeritageWoods)567GoldstreamAvenue SSE 15km

AcaciaTyMawr2655ShawniganLakeRoad, SE 16km

JeskenAerie817GoldstreamAvenue SSE 14km


15

3.0 ReceivingEnvironment

A primary objective of this Technical Assessment Report is to document the Site

conditionsanddeterminethepotentialforimpactstothereceivingenvironmentbasedon

the Site conditions and theproposed activities. This sectionof the reportdescribes in

detailthesoilandgroundwaterconditionsattheSite, identifiespotentialreceptorssuch

as water wells and surface water bodies, and outlines the proposed environmental

monitoringplan. The informationpresented isobtainedfromSitespecific investigations

conductedtodate,inadditiontopubliclyavailablesourcesofinformation.

3.1 SoilConditions

TheSiteisunderlainbyshallowbedrock,withathinblanketoftillsoilsatsurfaceinareas

beyond the footprintof the rockquarry. The rockmined from thequarry isextremely

hard,whichhas resulted in the landform comprising a knoblike,dome shaped surface

and local topographichighareabecauseof the resistance toerosionversus softer rock

typessurroundingtheSite.

Thebedrock at the Site is comprisedof igneous granodiorite andmetamorphic gneiss.

Thegranodiorite isdescribedasmediumgrained, lightgrey togreen incolor,withdark

maficmineralgrainswhichgive ita speckledappearance. Thegneiss isadarkgrey to

blackcolouredrockwithafinelybandedappearance,andiscomposedofmineralssuchas

hornblendeandplagioclasefeldspar. Themonitoringwells logs(AppendixD)distinguish

thesetworocktypesasrecordedduringdrilling.

Asa resultofminingoperations todate,all surficial soilshavebeen stripped from the

quarryareaexposingtheunderlyingbedrock.

Thesoilconditionsarepresented inthecrosssectionsthroughtheSiteandsurrounding

areas,providedasFigures5,6and7.


16

3.2 Hydrogeology

Theregionaland localhydrogeologicconditionsarepresented incrosssectionsprovided

onFigures5,6and7.WelllogsobtainedfromtheMOEdatabase,andlogsformonitoring

wellsinstalledontheSite,areincludedinAppendixD.

Regionally,theSite is locatedwithintheupperreachesofthesouthernShawniganLake

catchment,andapproximately5kmfromShawniganLake.Thegroundwaterflowregime

that links the upper reaches of the catchment to Shawnigan Lake includes deep flow

through fractures in the bedrock. Recharge to this flow regime is from infiltration of

precipitation through exposed and connected fracture zones at higher elevations and

throughperchedsurfacewaterbodies intheuppercatchmentsuchaswetlands,ponds,

lakes and streams that sit directly over the bedrock. There is a significant elevation

difference from the upper reaches of the catchment and the regional groundwater

discharge elevation at Shawnigan Lake. The upper bedrock appears to be less

permeable/fracturedthanthedeeperbedrockactingasaconfininglayer.Asaresult,the

piezometricelevationsaregenerallynearorabovegroundsurfacealongthedeepregional

bedrockgroundwaterflowpath.

Within theShawnigan Lake catchment thereare localizedareaswithgroundwater flow

through overburden soils. These overburden aquifers are recharged predominantly by

infiltrationofprecipitation,whichisenhancedbyincreasedrunofffromsurroundingareas

withsteepslopesandshallowbedrock.Theseoverburdenaquifersarefoundinthelower

elevationareasoftheShawnigancatchmentwheresoilshaveaccumulated inthevalley

bottom. Existingwell#83568, located inthevalleybottomapproximately700mtothe

northoftheSite,demonstratesthepotentialforlocalizedoverburdenaquifers(Figures3,

4and5).


17

Atotalof fivemonitoringwellswere installedtodeterminethegroundwaterconditions

beneaththeSite.Thesewellsareidentifiedas:

MW111S;

MW111D;

MW112;

MW113S;and,

MW113D.

Themonitoringwell logsare included inAppendixD. Themonitoringwells installedon

theSitedidnotencounteranywaterbearing fractureswithin theupper17m (55 ft)of

thebedrock.Fracturezoneswithminimalwaterwereencounteredatdepthsbetween18

and 19m (58 and 61 ft) atMW113 and between 37 and 43m (121 and 141 ft) at

MW112. Theonly significant fracture zoneencountered in the threemonitoringwells

wasat82m(269ft)depthatMW111.Itisalsonotedthatthewatersupplywellonthe

Site(MOE#86152)didnotencounteranysignificantwaterbearingfracturesuntiladepth

of79m(258ft).

Thereappearstobeastratificationoffracturedensity/permeabilitybeneaththeSite. It

maybepossibletogeneralizethebedrockinto2distinctlayersasfollows:

UpperBedrockfrom0to75m(0to250ft):Negligiblegroundwaterflow.

DeepBedrockbelow75m(250ft):Minorgroundwaterflow.

Themonitoringwellswere installedwithin theactivepitatelevations rangingbetween

approximately 320 mgeod. and 330 mgeod. The ultimate pit bottom elevation is

313.5mgeod.,therefore,therewillbegreaterthan65moftheupper lowpermeability

bedrockthatwillremainbeneaththeultimatepitbottomattheSite.


18

Hydraulic response testing was performed on all five monitoring wells in order to

determinethehydraulicconductivityofthebedrockaquifer.Theresultsoftherisinghead

tests are summarized in the following Table C. The field test data and details of the

analysesareincludedinAppendixE.

Thestaticwater levelswere initiallymeasuredonSeptember11,2011,and itwasnoted

thatboth shallow anddeeppiezometers atMW113were artesian at that time. As a

result,thePVCcasingswereextendedandresurveyedtoallowformeasurementofthe

piezometricelevationsatthis location. Theelevationsweremonitoreduntilstatic levels

wereachievedaspresentedinTableCformeasurementsobtainedonJune27,2012.

TableC:SummaryofHydraulicResponseTestingonMonitoringWells

MonitoringWell

TopofPVC FractureZone ScreenInterval StaticLevel HydraulicConductivityElev Depth Elev Depth Elev Depth Elev

(mgeod.) (m) (mgeod.) (m) (mgeod.) (m) (mgeod.) (m/s)

MW111S 329.99 none n/a 4450 279285 7.84 322.15 1.6x1010

MW111D 329.96 82 247 7884 245251 7.88 322.09 1.6x107

MW112 324.13 3743 279285 3743 279285 2.68 321.46 7.4x1010

MW113S 323.142 1819 301302 1521 299305 1.39 321.76 7.6x1010

MW113D 322.929 none n/a 4046 274280 1.83 321.10 5.7x1010

ThegroundwaterflowvelocitythroughthedeepbedrockaquiferunderlyingtheSitemay

beestimatedbyaformoftheDarcyEquationasfollows:


19

V=(Kxi)/n,where

V=groundwaterflowvelocity

K=hydraulicconductivityofaquifer

i=hydraulicgradient

n=effectiveporosityofaquifer

This equation applies directly to the movement of a fluid through a porous media.

Therefore, the assumption is made that the bedrock fractures are significantly

interconnectedtoemulateaporousmedia. This isacommonlyusedassumptionand is

considered to be reasonable for the bedrock conditions at the Site. The individual

parametersarediscussedinthefollowing:

Thehydraulic conductivityhasbeendeterminedby thehydraulic response tests

andisapproximatedtobe:

o 7.6x1010m/swithintheupperbedrockfrom0to75mdepth;ando 1.6x107m/swithinthedeepbedrockbelow75mdepth.

The hydraulic gradient within the upper bedrock was measured to be 0.7%

towardsthenorthwestonJune27,2012.

Thehydraulicgradientofthedeep,regionalbedrockisestimatedtobe5%,based

onthefollowing:

o TheelevationdifferencebetweenmonitoringwellMW111Dpiezometriclevel on the Site (322 mgeod.) and the elevation of Devereaux Lake

(400mgeod.), located approximately 1,500 m upgradient of the Site.

LeakagefromthebaseofDevereauxLakeisinferredtorechargethedeep

bedrock aquifer, and the conservative assumption of a direct hydraulic


20

connectionbetweenDevereauxLakeandthedeepbedrockaquiferresults

inahydraulicgradientestimateof5.2%.

o The elevation difference between the upper regional bedrock aquiferrecharge area (500 mgeod.) and the elevation of Shawnigan Lake

(120mgeod.), divided by the separation distance (8,000m) provides a

regionalgradientestimateof4.8%.

The effective porosity of the bedrock aquifer is estimated to be 15% for the

purposeofcalculatingtherateofgroundwaterflowbeneaththeSite.

Therefore, based on the above, the groundwater flow velocity through the bedrock

aquifersbeneaththeSiteareestimatedtobe:

UpperBedrock=0.001m/year;and

DeepBedrock=1.7m/year.

Atthesevelocities, itrequiresthefollowingnumberofyearsforgroundwaterrecharged

fromtheSitetoreachShawniganLakeapproximately5kmaway:

UpperBedrock=3,000,000years;and

DeepBedrock=103,000yearsincludingverticalandhorizontalflowpaths.

Therearesomesignificantconclusionsthatmaybedrawnwithrespecttotheproposed

facilityandthehydrogeologicconditionsattheSite,asfollows:

Groundwater flow through theupperbedrockat theSite isnegligible, therefore

theriskofimpactinggroundwaterislimitedtothedeepgroundwaterflowthrough

bedrock.

Deepgroundwaterflowthroughbedrockoccursbeneathaconfininglayeroflower

permeabilitybedrockapproximately65m(210ft)inthicknessatthecompletionof


21

mining. This layer protects the deep bedrock aquifer from impacts originating

fromabovesuchastheproposedfacility.

Theverticaltraveltimefromgroundsurfacetothedeepbedrockaquiferwouldbe

greaterthan100,000yearsusingtheverticalgradientmeasuredbetweenMW11

1SandMW111D(0.4%).

Deepgroundwaterflowoccursatavelocityofapproximately1.7m/year,whichis

veryslowandthereforefurthermitigatestheriskofenvironmentalimpacts.

The horizontal groundwater travel time to Shawnigan Lake within the deep

bedrockaquifer isapproximately3,000years. This isasignificant lengthoftime

whichfurthermitigatestheriskofenvironmentalimpacts.

The horizontal groundwater travel timewithin the deep bedrock aquifer to the

nearestexistingwatersupplywell(MOEWellTag#86152),located150mfromthe

Site, isestimatedtobeapproximately88years (plusanadditional100,000years

forverticaltraveltime).

Anyleachategeneratedbytheproposedfacilityhassignificantverticalseparation

fromthedeepbedrockaquifer;

Overall,thepotentialforleachatederivedfromtheproposedfacilitytoimpactthe

environmentviagroundwaterflowthroughthebedrockisextremelyremote.

3.3 NearbyDrinkingWater,Irrigation,andLivestockWells

TheBCMinistryofEnvironmentonlineWELLSdatabaseandWaterResourcesAtlaswere

used to identifywells in thestudyarea. The locationsof identifiedwellsareshownon

Figure3,andrecordsforpertinentwells located incloseproximitytotheSiteandalong

the regional crosssection are included in AppendixD. No irrigation or livestockwells

were identified. All pertinentwell records indicate that thewells are used to supply


22

drinkingwater.Asummaryofallwellswithin1kmoftheSiteisprovidedinthefollowing

TableD.

TableD:SummaryofWaterWellswithin1kmoftheSiteMOEID DepthtoBedrock WellDepth WellYield

WellTagNo. (m) (ft) (m) (ft) (USGPM)

83527 6.1 20 94 307 3

83531 16.8 55 63 207 20

85099 0.6 2 215 707 2.5

86036 12.8 42 135 442 1.25

86037 0.9 3 110 362 35

86152 0.0 0 99 325 20

89253 2.7 9 69 227 10

93401 0.0 0 38 125 30

95480 4.3 14 81 265 6

95485 2.4 8 123 405 4

96080 1.5 5 62 205 3

Average 4 14 99 325 12

As shown in theabove table,groundwater supplywells in theareaaverageadepthof

approximately 100m,which concurswith the conclusions drawn in Section 3.2 of this

reportregardingthestratificationofwaterbearingfracturesinthebedrockinthisregion.

In general, water wells are drilled to the minimum depth required to produce the

necessaryyield.Therefore,theapproximately75mthicknessoflowpermeabilityrockat

groundsurfaceidentifiedontheSiteappearstobeapplicabletothesurroundingbedrock

intheareaasinferredfromthewellswithin1kmoftheSite.

Well93401islabeledonFigures3and4,anditslogisincludedinAppendixB.Thiswellis

locatedapproximately600msouthwest(upgradient)oftheSite. Thewell log indicates

thatitwascompletedto38mdepth.Thegroundelevationatthiswellisapproximately

385mindicatingacompletionelevationofapproximately347m.Therefore,thebottom


23

of thewell is above the original ground surface elevation on the Site. As a result, no

groundwater flow canoccur from theSite to thiswellevenunderpumping conditions.

Extrapolating Section BB (Figure 6), it is anticipated that thiswill is completed in the

lower bedrock unit despite its shallow depth. It is noted that the thickness of the

confiningupperbedrockdecreasesupgradientof theSiteandat thehigherelevations

whererechargetotheloweraquiferoccurs.ThisisillustratedonFigure6.

The BC Ministry of Environment provides an online Water Resources Atlas

(http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/data_searches/wrbc/)thatmapsallmajoraquifersinthe

provinceandprovidesratings(low,moderateorhigh)foraquifercharacteristic including

productivity,demandandvulnerability. TheAtlasdoesnotmapanaquiferbeneaththe

subjectSite,andthetwonearestaquiferstotheSiteareshownonFigure3anddescribed

below:

ShawniganLake/CobbleHillAquifer: Locatedapproximately2kmnorthofthe

Site,thisbedrockaquifer isdescribedas lowproductivity,moderatedemandand

highvulnerability.

SpectacleLake/MalahatAquifer: Locatedapproximately1kmeastoftheSite,

thisbedrockaquifer isdescribedasmoderateproductivity, lowdemandandhigh

vulnerability.

TheShawniganLake/CobbleHillAquiferislocatedapproximately2kmdowngradientof

theSite,andthetraveltimeforgroundwaterflowwithinthedeepbedrockbeneaththe

Site to reach the mapped aquifer is estimated to be approximately 1,000 years

(horizontallyonlyandnotincludingverticalflowfromgroundsurfacetothedeepaquifer

whichwould requireanadditional100,000yearsor so). TheSpectacle Lake /Malahat

Aquifer is locatedwithinadifferentcatchmentareathantheSite,andthereforethere is


24

nohydraulicconnectionbetweengroundwaterinthedeepbedrockbeneaththeSiteand

thisaquifer.

3.4 ApplicableCSRSiteSpecificFactors

Theexisting landuseasa rockquarry is considered tobe Industrial (IL)under theCSR

classification. Theproposeduse as a contaminated soil treatment anddisposal facility

wouldalsobeconsideredCSRIL.

TheproximityofShawniganCreekanditstributariesresultintheCSRfreshwaterAquatic

Life (AW) standards being applicable to the Site. In addition the BC ApprovedWater

QualityGuidelines(BCAWQG)areapplicabletonearbysurfacewaterbodies.

The presence of approximately 75m of very low permeability (1010m/s) bedrock at

ground surfaceand sincenoexistingwellsarepresentwithin150m, removes theCSR

DrinkingWater (DW) standards from being applicable to the Site. The CSR Technical

Guidance Document 6 (Water Use Determination) indicates that Drinking Water

Standards(DW)applywherecurrentdrinkingwatersources(groundorsurface)arewithin

500mof theouterextentofagroundwatercontaminationsource. If thegroundwater

flowdirectionhasbeenreliablydetermined,thisdistanceislimitedto100mupgradient

(remainingat500mdowngradient)oftheouterextentofacontaminationsource.

Futuredrinkingwaterusemustalsobeconsidered in theevaluationofwhetherornot

DWstandardsapplyatasite.Thisincludesevaluationoftheunderlyingaquifertoassess

hydraulicparametersincludingyieldandhydraulicconductivity.Iftheaquiferunderlying

a sitehasahydraulic conductivitygreater than1X106m/s,anda yieldgreater thanor

equalto1.3L/min,thenDWstandardsareconsideredtoapply.


25

Exceptions to the application ofDW include situationswhere the natural groundwater

qualityisconsideredunsuitablefordrinkingwaterusebasedonelevatedTotalDissolved

Solids (TDS 4,000mg/L); orwhere groundwater is containedwithin organic soils or

muskeg.Also,insituationswherethereexistsaconfininggeologicalunitthatadequately

protectstheaquifer,DWdoesnotapply. Aconfininggeologicalunit isdefinedasbeing

uniformandfreeoffractures,continuousacrossthesite,andgreaterthan5mthickwitha

bulkhydraulicconductivitylessthanorequalto1X107m/s.

InordertoaddressthepotentialapplicabilityofDWbasedoncurrentuses,ActiveEarth

searchedtheBCWaterResourceAtlas. Thissearchrevealedthenearestdrinkingwater

welltobeapproximately150meastoftheSiteboundary, inanupgradientorientation

relative to the Site (well tag 95485). No wells were indicated in a downgradient

orientation within the 1 km search radius. The onSite well (86152) is not used for

potabilitypurposes.

In order to assess future drinking water use, we determined there to be a suitable

confining geological unit in the form of the upper bedrock. This confining unit was

determinedtomeetthecriteriaspecifiedinGuidanceDocument6.

Followingclosureoftheproposedfacility,therewillbea2mcleansoilcapplacedoverthe

Sitethatweremoveterrestrialexposurepathwaystothecontaminatedsoil,inadditionto

theLLDPEcap liner. Theclosedfacilitywillposenounacceptableriskstohumanhealth

and/ortheenvironment.

3.5 HydrologyofWaterDischargeLocation

SurfacewaterfeaturesonandsurroundingtheSiteareshownonFigure4.Thesefeatures

include:


26

ShawniganCreektotheeastoftheproposedfacilityontheSite;

Anephemeral tributary toShawniganCreek to thenorthwestof theSite,witha

tributary to this thatoriginateson the Site and flows from the Siteat thewest

propertyline;

AnephemeralwetareaontheSite,tothesoutheastoftheproposedfacility,that

drainsintoShawniganCreekalongaditch;

AnexistingSettlingpondontheSite,tothesoutheastoftheproposedfacility,that

drainsintotheabovedescribedephemeralwetarea;and

ExistingSettlingpondswithintheexistingquarryfootprint,onthewestsideofthe

Site,thatwillbeaugmentedfortheproposedfacility.

ThepredevelopedSiteconsistedofacentralcrestwith runoff travellingdownhill inall

directions;reportingtoanephemeraltributaryofShawniganCreektothenorthwestand

directly to ShawniganCreek to the east. The final capof the proposed landfill facility

would generally reinstate the predeveloped Site conditions. During operation of the

proposedfacility,theephemeraltributaryoriginatingontheSiteandexitingatthewest

propertylinewouldbethereceptorofallwaterdischarges.Itisproposedtodischargeall

waterdirectlytothissurfacewaterbodyontheSitefollowingmonitoringandtreatment.

ThetributarylocatedonthewestsideoftheSitethatwillbetheinitialreceptorofwater

discharges from theproposed facilitydoesnotappear to sustainabaseflow in thedry

summer months, as evidenced by Site reconnaissance of the area in August 2011.

However,thegroundsurfacealongthissurfacewaterflowpathwaywasobservedtobeat

ornearsaturationduringthereconnaissance.

ShawniganCreekflowsthroughtheSite,withinaprotectedcovenantareatotheeastof

theexistingquarry andproposed facilityoperations. During the late summer, flows in

ShawniganCreekareestimatedto fallbelow5USgpm (seephotos inAppendixC). This


27

baseflow is sustained from discharges from small lakes upstream of the Site including

DevereauxLakeandLoganLake.

TheSitecomprisesapproximately0.3%ofthesouthernShawniganLakecatchmentarea,

andthereforedoesnothavethepotentialtosignificantly impacthydrologicalconditions

withinthecatchment.

A contingency area for collection of stormwater drainage and potential discharge is

located in the southeastareaof the Site,and consistsof anexisting Settlingpondand

ephemeral wet area that drains to Shawnigan Creek. Augmentation of the existing

Settlingpondandditchwould likelybe requiredprior to incorporating thiscontingency

areaintotheproposedfacilitystormwatermanagementsystem.Additionalsurfacewater

monitoringofthisareawouldalsobeundertakenifthisareaistobeutilized.

During operation, the proposed facility will not have a significant impact on the

surrounding surfacewater bodies as discharge volumeswill not be increased over the

existingquarryoperation.ThemajorityoftheSiteiscurrentlyexposedbedrockwithinthe

footprint of the quarry and proposed facility, therefore, runoff rates will not be

appreciablyincreasedbydevelopmentoftheproposedfacility.Uponclosure,theSitewill

berestoredtonearpredevelopmentconditionswithrespecttosurfacewaterflows.

3.6 EnvironmentalMonitoringPlan

Theenvironmentalmonitoringplan includes groundwater and surfacewaterbodies at,

and immediately adjacent to, the Site. Analyses included physical parameters, anions,

nutrients, bacteriological, total metals, dissolved metals, volatile organic compounds,

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and extractable petroleum hydrocarbons. The

laboratoryanalyticalreportsareincludedinAppendixF.


28

Thegroundwatermonitoringplanhasbeeninitiatedbytheinstallationoffivemonitoring

wellsatthreelocationsontheSite.Samplesfromthesewellshavebeenanalyzedandthe

resultsarepresentedonTables1through4.ThegroundwaterqualitymeetstheCSRAW

(Aquatic Life) standards for all parameters tested with the exceptions of Cadmium,

ManganeseandSodium. Noexceedences forCSRDW (DrinkingWater)standardswere

measuredinthemonitoringwells.

Baseline surface water samples were collected from three locations along Shawnigan

CreekandthreelocationsalongtheephemeraltributarytothewestoftheSite,asshown

onFigures4,8and15.Thesurfacewatermonitoringlocationsarelocatedupstreamand

downstreamoftheproposedfacility,andtheanalyticalresultsarepresentedonTable5

through8.ThesurfacewaterqualitymeetstheBCAWWQGstandardsforallparameters

testedwiththeexceptionsofNitrate,Barium,Chromium,IronandToluene.

Considerationwasgivenfortheneedtoconductbenthicorganismandsedimentsampling

withintheephemeraltributarytoShawniganCreek.However,basedonthehighquality

ofthedischargedwater(meetsBCAWWQGandTSS


29

3.7 CumulativeEffectsfromOtherDischargesintheArea

Thesurrounding landuseswerereviewedto identifyotherdischargesoractivities inthe

area thatcouldhaveacumulativeeffecton the impactsanticipated from theproposed

facility.Thereviewidentifiedtwoexistingoperations:

TheminingactivitiesonthesubjectSite;and

ThedepositofcleansoilontheadjacentfillSitetothenorthonStebbingsRoad.

The cumulative effect of the proposed facility with consideration of the two existing

activitieswouldbenegligibleorresultinanimprovement.

Thegroundwaterflowsystemwithinthebedrockaquiferisnotexpectedtobeimpacted

byeither theexistingorproposedactivitiesasa resultof thehydrogeologic conditions

presentattheSite(seeSection3.2).

Theproposed surfacewatermanagement systemwillensureall runoff isappropriately

diverted,collected,treatedanddischarged. Thiswillresult inanegligible impacttothe

receivingenvironment.Furthermore,theproposedsurfacewatermanagementsystemis

more robust than theexisting systemon the Site currentlyutilized for the rockmining

operation. Since the quarry and the proposed facility will operate within the same

footprint,theneteffectoftheproposedsurfacewatermanagementsystem isexpected

tobeanimprovement.Agreaterlevelofcontrolandmonitoringwillbeinplacetoensure

potentialenvironmentalimpactsareminimized.


30

4.0 SourceMaterial

Ingeneral,thetargetsourcematerialfortheproposedfacilityincludescontaminatedsoils

andsomeindustrialwastespresentonsitesintheSouthernVancouverIslandregion.

The sourcematerialwould contain concentrationsof regulated substances thatexceed

applicable landuse standards asdefinedby theBCCSR and/orCCMEGuidelines. The

contaminationwouldhave resulted froma rangeofcommercialand industrialactivities

suchasthoselistedinSchedule2oftheCSR.

Nodisposalofliquidswillbepermitted.

It isanticipated that themajorityof thesourcematerialwould requiremovement from

thegivensourcesitestofacilitateremediation.

4.1 ContaminantsofConcern

Soilsacceptedattheproposedfacilitymaycontainoneormoreofthecontaminantslisted

undertheContaminatedSitesRegulation,Schedules4,5,7and10.Thebroadcategories

ofcontaminantsandspecificcontaminantsineachcategoryincludethefollowing:

InorganicSubstancesMetals

PetroleumHydrocarbonsBenzene,Ethylbenzene,Toluene,Xylenes(BTEX),Styrene,Methyl Tributyl Ether (MTBE), Volatile Petroleum Hydrocarbons (VPH), LightExtractable Petroleum Hydrocarbons (LEPH), Heavy Extractable PetroleumHydrocarbons(HEPH)

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene,benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, indeno[1,2,3cd]pyrene,naphthalene,phenanthrene,pyrene,

Chlorinated Hydrocarbons Chlorinated aliphatics (chloroform, dichloroethane,dichloroethene, dichloromethane, 1,2dichloropropane, 1,3dichloropropene, carbon


31

tetrachloride, trichloroethane), chlorobenzenes (trichlorobenzene,tetrachlorobenzene, pentachlorobenzene), dichlorobenzenes (1,2dichlorobenzene,1,3dichlorobenzene, 1,4dichlorobenzene), hexachlorobenzene, lindane,monochlorobenzene, tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride,polychlorinatedbiphenyls.

Phenolic Substances Chlorinated phenols (chlorophenol isomers, dichlorophenols,trichlorophenols, tetrachlorophenols), pentachlorophenol, nonchlorinated phenols(2,4dimethylphenol, 2,4dinitropheno, 2methyl 4,6dinitrophenol, nitrophenol,phenol,cresol)

GlycolsEthyleneGlycol,PropyleneGlycol

Wastematerialsfromindustrialprocessesincludeincineratorash(nonHazardousWaste)

withcontaminantsofpotentialconcernincludingmetalsandhydrocarbons,perabove.No

liquidwasteswillbeaccepted.

4.2 MaximumConcentrations

Soilsacceptedattheproposedfacilitywillnotexceedthestandardssetoutforhazardous

wasteintheHWR(i.eHazardousWastewouldnotbeaccepted).Allsoilswillalsobenon

leachable. Soilwith contaminant concentrations exceeding CSR residential, commercial

andindustrialstandardswouldbeaccepted.

Potentially problematic parameters including moisture content, pH and incompatible

wastetypesarediscussedinthefollowing.

SoilMoistureContent

Moisturecontentcanbecomeproblematicwhensoilsaresupersaturatedandfreewater

is able to drain from the soil. This freewater can provide a transportmechanism for

contaminantstomobilizeandpotentiallycreateleachate;atleastuntilthesoildrainstoa


32

stable moisture content. However, the potential to generate leachate from

supersaturatedsoils isconsideredtopresentavery lowriskasthesoilsacceptedtothe

facilitywillnotbe leachableand thevolumeofwaterderived fromsupersaturatedsoils

willbesmall. Nonetheless,thepossibilityofspecifyingmaximummoisturecontents for

soiltobepermanentlyencapsulatedwasevaluatedasdescribedinthefollowing.

The maximum moisture content that can be held within the soil before it becomes

supersaturated is related to the soil type. There isawide rangeof saturatedmoisture

contentsthatcanoccurfordifferentsoiltypesasshowninthefollowingtable.

TableE:SoilTypevsMoistureContent

SoilType SaturatedMoistureContent

Gravel


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moisture content. Soilsmusthaveamoisture contentbelow saturation inorder tobe

placedwithinthepermanentencapsulationarea.

Based on the continuum for potential moisture content, visual inspection of soils is

consideredtobetheonlypracticalwayofassessingthepresenceofsupersaturatedsoils.

ToreiteratethatthepossibilityexistsforsupersaturatedsoilstobeacceptedtotheSoil

ManagementArea,however,thesesoilswillbetreatedtoreducethemoisturecontentto

belowsaturationpriortopermanentencapsulation.

SoilpH

The potential for pH to be problematic either by impacting liner stability and/or

mobilizationofcontaminantssuchasmetalsfromsoilrequireseitherdirectlinercontact

ora transportmechanism suchas themigrationofwater. Without theability to react

withthe liner,pHdoesnotposeariskto linerstability. Withoutatransportmechanism

such as water, it is not possible to mobilize contaminants and therefore pH is not

consideredasignificantrisk.

Thesoilplacedinthepermanentencapsulationcellsisseparatedfromdirectcontactwith

the linersviathecleansanddrainageblanketandgeofabrics,removingthepotentialfor

directlinercontact.

The facilitydesignandoperationaimstoremovethetransportmechanismandmitigate

the potential for leachate generation. Temporary and permanent coversmitigate the

impacts of incident precipitation both within the soil management area and the

permanentencapsulationarea. Sitedrainageworksensure that thecellsareprotected

against runoff, and screening for supersaturated soils mitigates the potential for soil

moisturetoproduceleachate.


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Any leachategeneratedwillbecollected,monitoredandtreatedpriortodischarge. The

treatment systemwill have the ability to handle a full range of potential pH levels if

encountered.

IncompatibleWasteTypes

Similar to the rationaledescribedabove forpH, thepotential forcomplications toarise

fromincompatiblewastetypesisconsideredtobelowbecauseofthelackofatransport

mechanism for the waste types to interact. That said, precautions will be taken to

segregate potentially incompatiblewastes by encapsulating thesewastematerials into

separatecells. Cellsizesarevery flexibleand it ispossible tocreateverysmallcells to

mitigatethisconcernasneeded

4.3 ConfirmationSoilisNotHazardousWaste

Ingeneral,soilswillbecharacterizedatthesourcesiteandthedatawillbereviewedby

qualifiedpersonnelprior to acceptance to the facility. Therewillbe a requirement to

provide key laboratory analytical data to support the determination of soil as non

Hazardous Waste. For example, all materials will require leachability testing results

performedbyanaccreditedlaboratory.Thisstepwillprovidetheprimaryconfirmationof

soilquality.

Hazardous Wastes as defined under the Hazardous Waste Regulation are not to be

imported to the landfill facility. Thiswould includeall categoriesofHazardousWastes

listedintheRegulations.TheWasteApprovalApplicationFormrequiresthatGenerators

state thatHazardousWastes arenotpresent. In addition, analyticaldataprovided for

each shipment of soilwill be reviewed against theHWR standards,which include the

following:

BiomedicalWastesasdefinedintheHWR.


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Free Liquidmeansanyquantityofa liquidwhich is separated froma solidwhensubjectedtotheFreeLiquidTestProceduredescribedinPart3ofSchedule4.

HouseholdHazardousWastesasdefinedbytheHWR.

Leachable ToxicWaste Meanswastewhen subject to the extraction proceduredescribed in the US EPA Method 1311 produces an extract with a contaminantconcentrationgreaterthanthoseprescribedinTable1ofSchedule4.

PCBWastesmeansPCBliquid,PCBsolidandPCBequipmentthathavebeentakenoutof service for thepurposeof treatment, recycling, reuseordisposalor for thepurposeofstoragepriortotreatment,recycling,reuseordisposal.

RadioactiveWastemeanswaste containingaprescribed substanceasdefined inthe Atomic Energy Control Act in sufficient quantity of concentration to require alicenceforpossessionoruseunderthatActandregulationsmadeunderthatAct.

WasteAsbestosmeansawastecontainingfriableasbestosfibresorasbestosdustinaconcentrationgreaterthan1%byweighteitheratthetimeofmanufacture,orasdeterminedusingamethodspecifiedinSection40(1).

WasteContainingDioxinmeansawastecontainingdioxinTEQ (asdefined in theHWR)inaconcentrationgreaterthan100partsperbillionbyweight.

Waste containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons means waste containingpolycyclicaromatichydrocarbons inatotalconcentrationgreaterthan100partspermillionmeasuredaspolycyclicaromatichydrocarbonTEQ(asdefinedbytheHWR)byweight.

Waste Containing Tetrachloroethylene means a waste containingtetrachloroethyleneinaconcentrationgreaterthan100partsperbillionbyweight.

WasteOilmeansautomotive lubricatingoil,cuttingoil,fueloil,gearoil,hydraulicoiloranyotherrefinedpetroleumbasedoilorsyntheticoilwheretheoilsareinthewaste ina totalconcentrationgreater than3%byweightand theoils throughuse,storage or handling have become unsuitable for their original purpose due to thepresenceofimpuritiesorlossoforiginalproperties.


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WastePestControlProductsincludescontainersandwastecontainingpestcontrolproducts, including wastes produced in the production of treated wood productsusingpestcontrolproducts.

The Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) regulation also specifies Hazardous

Wastes,however,thiswillnotbeusedforscreeningcontaminantsatthefacility.Rather,

thisRegulationwouldbeusedtomanagethemovementandtransportationofWastes

It isrecognizedthatsomeparametersmayexceedHWRLQSwhenCSR ILstandardsare

met. Forthisreason,allsubstanceswillbescreenedagainsttheHWRLQSbyassuming

the entire concentration is leachable (i.e. multiplying the LQS by 20 L/kg). When

substancesarefoundinexcessoftheselevels,thentheGeneratorSitewillberequiredto

providetheTCLPanalysistoconfirmalackoftheHWRLQSexceedances.

4.4 QA/QCofIncomingSoilQuality

To confirm the quality of incoming soil meets the requirements of the facility, the

followingprotocolswillbefollowed:

Contaminatedsoilwillbecharacterizedatthesourcesite inaccordancewiththe

CSRrequirements,priortorelocationtothefacility.Thisdatawillbereviewedby

qualifiedprofessionalfacilityrepresentativespriortoanysoilbeingrelocated.

All soilswillbe initially stored in theSoilManagementArea forassessmentand

confirmationofsoilquality.

AllsoilswillbescreenedagainsttheHWRLQSusingtheruleof20,todetermine

ifconfirmatorycharacterizationisrequired.

Incaseswheresoilcharacterizationatthesourcesiteisconsideredtobemarginal,

additionalcharacterizationatthefacilitywillbeundertakeninaccordancewiththe

MOETechnicalGuidanceDocument1(GD1).


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All incomingsoilwillbesubjecttorandomandsystematicconfirmationfromsoil

samplescollectedbyfacilitypersonnel.

Oncesoilqualityhasbeenconfirmedbyqualifiedpersonnel,thesoilmaythenbe

relocatedon Site to the soil treatment areaor to thepermanentencapsulation

areadependinguponthenatureofthecontaminants.

EmphasisisplacedonsoilbeingappropriatelycharacterizedatthesourceSite;theWaste

Approval Application includes reference to soil characterization in accordancewith

GuidanceDocument1.

Thischaracterizationshould includeappropriateanalyticalQA/QCchecks,andstatistical

analyses in accordance with MOE Technical Guidance Document 12 (Statistics for

Contaminated Sites) and Technical Guidance Documents 10 and 11 (Checklist for

ReviewingPSIandDSIrespectively).

AQualifiedProfessionalwillaccountforthesoilbeingappropriatelycharacterizedpriorto

thesoilbeingacceptedtotheFacility.

Fortheconversionfromtruck loadstovolume,a load isconsideredtobeatandemaxle

dump truck typically carrying about 1214 tonnes. At a density of 2 tonnes/m3, this

representsapproximately67m3ofsoil.

In addition to soil chemical quality, incoming soilswill also be screened formoisture

content. Asdescribedabove,moisturecontentcanbecomeproblematicwhensoilsare

supersaturatedandfreewaterisabletodrainfromthesoil.


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4.5 HoldingCellforSuspect/RejectSoil

AllsoilacceptedtothefacilitywouldbeinitiallyplacedintheSoilManagementArea.This

area will be asphaltpaved with appropriate water management systems in place to

controlandcollectrunoff,monitorwaterquality,treatifnecessaryandthendischargeas

appropriate.

WithintheSoilManagementArea,apermanentlycoveredarea,oranareadesignedfor

coveringsoil(tarpsandlockblocks),willbepresentforthetemporarystorageofsuspect

HazardousWastesoils.Allsuspectsoilswouldbeplacedinthisareaandrecharacterized

toconfirmsoilquality.

Soil identified tomeetorexceed theHWRstandardswouldbeshipped toanapproved

facilityoffSite.

4.6 SoilAcceptancePlan

The soil acceptance plan has twomajor components; acceptance to the facility, and

acceptancetothePermanentEncapsulationArea.

Soilacceptancetothefacilityincludesthefollowingcomponents:

Completion of a standardWaste Approval Application form to filled out by a

qualified,professionalrepresentativeofthesourcesite;

Review of data, reports and available documents by a qualified professional

representative of the facility to assess if soil quality has been adequately

characterized;

Acceptedsoil isreceivedtotheSoilManagementArea foradditionalassessment

and characterization as determined to be necessary by the facilitys qualified

professional;


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Soil received to the SoilManagementAreawillbe stockpiled indesignated and

signedareasinwindrowsorincoveredcellsasdeterminedbysoilquality;

Soilwillbestockpiled intheSoilManagementAreaunderthedirectionoffacility

personnelandallstockpileswillbemarked inthefieldandonthedailystockpile

monitoringsheets(standardizedform);

Oncesoilqualityhasbeenconfirmedbyqualifiedpersonnel,thesoilmaythenbe

relocatedonSite to theSoilTreatmentAreaor to thePermanentEncapsulation

Areadependinguponthenatureofthecontaminants.

SoilacceptedtothePermanentEncapsulationAreacouldbesourcedfromeithertheSoil

Management Area or the Soil Treatment Area depending upon the nature of the

contaminantsandinaccordancewiththefollowing:

SoilsmustbeadequatelycharacterizedasnonHazardousWaste;

Soils with metals contamination may be relocated directly to the Permanent

EncapsulationAreafromtheSoilManagementArea;

Soilswith organic contaminants that are not responding to treatmentmay be

relocatedfromtheSoilTreatmentAreatothePermanentEncapsulationArea;

Soilswillbeplaced inengineered cellswith appropriate liners, covers,drainage

systems,andleachatedetection/collectionsystems;and

Landfill cells will be designed and constructed in conjunction with the quarry

operations to facilitate land reclamation coincidentally with the

progress/completionofminingactivitiesadiscussedindetaillaterinthisreport.


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5.0 SoilDischarge

5.1 VolumeofSoilPerYearDischarged

TheSitehasthecapacity/requirementtoacceptatotalof15,000,000m3ofmaterialfor

minereclamationpurposes.Itisestimatedthatapproximately70%ofthisvolumecould

beutilizedforthepermanentcontainmentofcontaminatedsoils,andtheremaining30%

ofthevolumewouldcomprisethedrainageblankets,covermaterials,finalcapmaterial,

celllayoutinefficienciesandfacilityinfrastructure.

Therockquarryhasanestimatedoperatinglifeof60yearsandiscurrentlyinPhase5of

themineplan(thereareatotalof20Phases).Todate,atotalof580,000m3ofmaterial

hasbeenremovedfromthemineand,assuch,miningisapproximately4%complete.

Theproposedfacilitywouldoperateconcurrentlywiththeminingoperation.Soilswould

be landfilled in cellswithin completed phases of themine. It is difficult to accurately

predictthevolumeofcontaminatedsoilthatwouldbeacceptedannuallyattheproposed

facility, as there are several factors that would impact the demand for a local soil

treatment and disposal facility such as regulatory requirements, real estate market

conditionsand localgovernmentpolicies. It isanticipated thatdemandmaybehigher

initiallyduetoabuildupresultingfromthe lackofa localdisposalalternative,andthen

demandmaydropoff toamorestable levelasdictated largelybyeconomicconditions

andtherealestate/landdevelopmentmarketsinparticular.

Therateofsoildischargedoverthelongtermofthefacilityoperationwouldbelimitedby

therateofaggregateextraction.Therateofaggregateextractionattheminetodate,has

averagedapproximately100,000m3/yearoverthepast6years.Therateofextractionis

anticipated to increaseover themine life inaccordancewithdemand. It isanticipated

that somemodification to theminingoperation sequenceofphaseswillbe required to


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allowfortheconcurrentactivitiesoftheproposedfacility/reclaimationandthemining

operations.

Insummary,soildischargerateswillbelimitedbyrockminingratesprovidedthedemand

ispresent.Therateofrockminingiscurrentlyabout100,000m3/yearandanticipatedto

increaseovertheremainingminelifespanofapproximately60years.Thelongtermrate

forsoilacceptancetothepermanentlandfillwillbelimitedbyeitherthisrateofminingor

thelongtermdemandforasoildisposalfacilityintheregion.Assuch,theapplicationis

madeforannualdischargeofwasteatarateof100,000tonnes.

5.2 Concentrations/LevelatDischarge

TheSiteiscurrentlyclassifiedashavinganindustriallanduse(CSRIL)accordingtotheBC

CSR. The landuseof theSite inpartdetermines theacceptable levelsofcontaminants

thatmaybepresentinshallowsoils.Ifthelanduseofasitechanges(uponclosureofthe

mineandproposedfacility),therewouldbeatrigger(suchasadevelopmentpermit)fora

reevaluation of site conditions, including the assessment of soil quality related to

potentialimpactsonhumanhealthandtheenvironment.

The proposed facility has been developed conceptuallywith the understanding that a

moresensitivefuturelandusewillultimatelyoccupytheSite;suchasresidential(CSRRL)

and/orpark(CSRPL) landuses. Specifically,onlynon leachablesoilswillbeacceptedat

the facility. To provide additional factors of safety, the engineered landfill cells will

permanentlycontainthecontaminatedsoilsandpreventtheexposuretomoistureinthe

event that any leachablematerialwas inadvertently received. An additionalbarrier to

leachate impacts includes a seepage collection system that is routinelymonitored and

treated ifnecessarypriortodischarge. Finally,theentire landfillwillbecoveredwitha

cleansoilcapwithaminimumthicknessof2.0m. Thissoilcapwillmitigateallpotential


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exposurepathwaysforhumansandtheterrestrialecosystem,asitisdoublethethickness

generallyrequiredatriskmanagedcontaminatedsitesinBC.

Soil discharged may exceed the generic numeric soil standards set out in the

EnvironmentalManagementAct(EMA)ContaminatedSitesRegulation(CSR)pertainingto

industrial land use (IL). However,no soil that is classified asHazardousWastewill be

placedatthefacility.

Soilscontaminatedwithorganicsubstancesthatareamenabletobioremediationwillbe

treatedatthefacilitypriortodischarge. Thesesoilswouldbetreatedtoconcentrations

below the CSR IL standards if possiblewith a reasonable level of effort. Successfully

treatedsoilsmaybeusedforcellcovermaterialsifappropriate.

Soils contaminatedwith inorganic substances that are not amenable to treatment via

bioremediationwillbeencapsulatedfollowingstandardfacilityscreeningandtesting.

5.3 ConcentrationConfirmation

Soilreceivingprotocolswillprovideconfirmationofsoilconcentrationsandaredescribed

inSection10ofthisreport.

Soilstreatedatthefacilitywillbereclassified inaccordancewithGD1thatspecifiesthe

recommended density andmethodologies for sampling stockpiles. A copy of GD1 is

includedasAppendixGforeaseofreference.Ingeneral,onesamplewillbecollectedfor

every10m3ofsoilundergoingtreatment.

Typically,soilsundergoingtreatmentwillberandomlysampledtomonitortheprogressof

bioremendation. Complete recharacterization in accordance with GD1 would be

undertakenpriortosoildischarge.Soilstockpilescanbemanagedinaccordance

Technical Assessment for Authorization to Discharge Waste Report

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