Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) Registration for the ...

REVISED PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) REGISTRATION
FOR THE NEPISIGUIT FALLS GENERATING STATION MODIFICATION AND REHABILITATION PROJECT
Residential land use is concentrated along Nepisiguit Falls Road (Figure 1.1), with
approximately 12 private properties located within 500 m of the Project. The closest residential
property is approximately 119 m north of the NFGS. The community is largely rural in nature
and many residents are likely employed in Bathurst and industries in the region (e.g., NB Power,
Brunswick Mines).
3.8 HERITAGE RESOURCES
The NFGS was constructed over a two year period between 1919 and 1921 to provide power to
a mill owned by the Bathurst Power and Paper Co. During construction the forebay area would
have been cleared of vegetation, excavated and the forebay and power house constructed into
the original bedrock banks of the river. The area subsequently would have flooded to create the
forebay and the natural downfall removed to accommodate the power house. Upgrades,
maintenance and other construction activities which have taken place over the last 90 years,
including those conducted in 1993 and 2000 have further excavated the natural river banks and
bedrock substrate.
A review of the Archaeological Service Sites Database did not reveal any registered
archaeological sites within the LAA. There are several known archaeological sites within a
30 km radius of PDA, all of which are plane crash sites from between 1943 and 1956.
According to Michael Nicholas, senior archaeologist from Archaeological Services (M. Nicholas,
pers. comm. 2010), the lack of registered resources in and around Nepisiguit Falls may be
attributed to the lack of study in the area.
3.9 ABORIGINAL LAND AND RESOURCE USE
The Tjigog ecodistrict lies within the traditional Mi’kmaq territory of Gespegeog. The Pabineau
First Nation is located approximately 20 km downstream of the Project.
The Nepisiguit River (Winpegigewig) means troubled river, or rough flowing water in Mi’kmaq
and is a major white water river in the province. A path (Sentier Nepisiquit Mi’gmaq Trail) on the
south side of the river is used to bypass the falls. There is a trail system, which follows the
shoreline of the Nepisiguit River approximately 128 km to Mount Carleton and was used by the
Mi’kmag people for a variety of purposes, including access to tribal hunting, fishing, trapping,
and gathering sites, spring and fall migration, as well as a thoroughfare over which they traveled
to interact and trade with other First Nation communities (Chaleur Trail Network 2010).
At this time, it is unknown whether natural resources in the LAA are collected by First Nations.
The nature of the site (a hydro generating station), and the imposed site access restrictions by
NB Power, would lessen the probability that resources in or adjacent to the LAA would be used
for traditional purposes by Aboriginal persons.
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