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

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REVISED PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) REGISTRATION FOR THE NEPISIGUIT FALLS GENERATING STATION MODIFICATION AND REHABILITATION PROJECT controlled and monitored and downstream flow will be maintained throughout Construction and Operation of the Project. Construction-related employment and direct and indirect expenditures within the local area will result in a short-term increase in employment and GDP as a result of increased spending by the labour force in the area, no significant positive or negative environmental effects as a result of the Project are anticipated. While local business and industry will be positively affected during Construction, Decommissioning and Abandonment and marginally during Operation (when general maintenance is required), no long-term environmental effects of the Project in terms of substantial increased employment or expenditures are foreseen. Decommissioning and Abandonment activities, if and when they occur, would restore the site to near natural conditions (circa 1919 prior to construction of the NFGS). While this would result in a significant change in land use within the LAA and potentially the greater Nepisiguit River watershed, the environmental effects on land use would diminish quickly as recreational land users adapted to the natural state of the river. As such, significant adverse residual environmental effects to Land Use and Economy are not expected to occur as a result of the Project. The environmental effects of the Project on Land Use and Economy, including cumulative environmental effects, are rated not significant during all phases. 4.2.2.6 Heritage Resources Heritage Resources during Operation was ranked 0 in Table 4.1 because there is no interaction with Heritage Resources under normal operating conditions. Operation of the NFGS does not involve ground breaking activities or the addition of Project-related infrastructure in previously undisturbed areas. Construction and Decommissioning and Abandonment have been ranked as 1 in Table 4.1 due to the potential for ground disturbing activities to uncover previously undiscovered or unknown heritage resources. A significant archaeological resource is defined as a site that contains features (non-removable indications of past human use and activity, such as a fire hearth, a living floor, or a burial site) in addition to artifacts determined by the provincial regulatory agency to be significant. The disturbance of an individual artifact is not normally considered significant. While the LAA could be generally considered to be of high archaeological potential due to its location on a major watercourse, the discovery of an archaeological or heritage resource during any phase of the Project is not anticipated because of the relatively limited extent of disturbance associated with the Project (e.g., movement of vehicles on existing access roads, placement of mobile trailers on existing laydown areas) and the fact that previous development in the forebay has taken place. There is the potential for the unplanned disturbance to or discovery of heritage Page 40 June 15, 2011
REVISED PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) REGISTRATION FOR THE NEPISIGUIT FALLS GENERATING STATION MODIFICATION AND REHABILITATION PROJECT resource during Construction and Decommissioning and Abandonment, which would be considered an unplanned event and is discussed in Section 4.4.3.6. In the event that Project personnel encounter a known or suspected heritage resource during any phase of the Project, work in the immediate area of the find (10 m radius) will be halted, and Archaeological Services of the New Brunswick Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport will be contacted (506-453-3014) in accordance with the Heritage Conservation Act (2010). Work in the immediate area of the find will be suspended until direction from Archaeological Services is received. The heritage resources may not be removed by anyone other than a licensed archaeologist (Archaeological Services 2009). A potential environmental effect of the Project on Heritage Resources would be the permanent loss or destruction of a heritage resource material. Based on the Archaeological Services Guidelines for Conducting a Heritage Resource Impact Assessment in New Brunswick (Archaeological Services 2009) and existing historical information for the area, the Project is likely to interact with an area considered to hold a high potential for undocumented heritage resources. In accordance with the Heritage Conservation Act (2010) a walkover of the exposed area that will be disturbed during Construction, below the high water mark, will be conducted by a permitted professional archaeologist immediately following draw down and dewatering. The results of the walkover will be reported to Archaeological Services along with recommendations for mitigating the impact from erosion to resources exposed as a result of the Project. Decommissioning and Abandonment activities, if and when they occur, would restore the site to near natural conditions, and subject to confirmation as part of the Decommissioning and Abandonment Plan to be developed for the Project at the appropriate time, would be carried out in such a manner that significant adverse environmental effects do not occur. As such, significant adverse environmental effects to Heritage Resources are not expected to occur as a result of the Project. The environmental effects of the Project on Heritage Resources, including cumulative environmental effects, are rated not significant during all phases. 4.2.2.7 Current Use of Land and Resources for Traditional Purposes by Aboriginal Persons Current Use of Land and Resources for Traditional Purposes by Aboriginal Persons has been ranked as 0 in Table 4.1 during Operation because access to the PDA and to some extent the LAA (area immediately upstream of the NFGS to the boom and downstream as far as the tailrace (Figure 2.1)) would be restricted for safety concerns. Current Use of Land and Resources for Traditional Purposes by Aboriginal Persons has been ranked as 1 in Table 4.1 during Construction and Decommissioning and Abandonment because of the potential to affect access to areas that are currently used for traditional purposes. June 15, 2011 Page 41
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