061211-Environmental Screening Report-IMAE.pdf - nirb

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Regulatory ContextThe Mary River Project bulk sampling program will require several permits, licenses orauthorizations, as follows:• Inuit Land Use License III (Qikiqtani Inuit Association)• Quarry Concession (Qikiqtani Inuit Association)• Type B Water License (Inland Waters Act)• Class A Land Use Permit (Territorial Lands Act)• Fisheries Authorizations (Fisheries Act)• Exemption/approvals under the Navigable Waters Protection ActIn addition to the above authorizations, the Project proposal will be checked for conformance to theNorth Baffin Regional Land Use Plan, and will undergo environmental screening by the NunavutImpact Review Board pursuant to the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement (Article 12). In addition, anEnvironmental Screening is required under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act beforepermits/authorizations may be issued by federal departments. This Environmental ScreeningDocument has been prepared to provide agencies with sufficient supporting information to licensethis project.Natural EnvironmentThe Mary River Project is located on northern Baffin Island, which has a semi-arid arctic climate.The average temperature at Pond Inlet, the nearest location with a long-term climatic record, is-15.1 ºC. The mean annual precipitation at Pond Inlet is 190.8 mm, with 144.5 cm of snowfall and85.4 mm falling as rain. Historical records show that snow can occur in any month, and rainfall mayoccur from April through November. Pond Inlet experiences 24-hour darkness (with less than2 hours of twilight) from November 12 to January 29, and continuous sunshine from May 5 toAugust 7.Surficial landforms and deposits are associated with recent, widespread glaciation on Baffin Island.Surficial geology consists of locally abundant Holocene glacio lacustrine sediments, fluvialsediments (alluvial deposits) and marine and glacio-marine deltaic sediments, end moraine till, andwith occasional outcrops of pre-Quaternary bedrock and sedimentary rock formations. The NorthBaffin region and Mary River area lies within the Committee Belt, a granite-greenstone terranemixed with rift basin sediments and volcanic rocks; Precambrian mountain to the east andPalaeozoic lowland plateau to the west. The Project lies within the zone of continuous permafrost,with an active layer thickness of up to two metres and a total permafrost depth of about a halfkilometre.The extremely cold temperatures of the region, combined with permafrost ground conditions resultin a short period of runoff that typically occurs from June to September. All rivers and creeks, withperhaps the exception of the very largest systems, freeze completely solid during the wintermonths. The runoff coefficient is very high due to the combination of low temperatures, lowPage iii of xviNB102-00181/6-1Revision 0November 20, 2006
infiltration and minimal vegetative cover, and correspondingly, surface water is abundant, and theregion is dotted with thousands of small lakes and streams.Water quality in the region is neutral to slightly alkaline, with low to very low turbidity and lownutrients. Water within the Mary River area tends towards naturally pristine, despite the presence ofhighly mineralized deposits. Aluminum and copper appear to be naturally elevated in surface waterin surface drainages near the Mary River iron ore deposits.The vegetation of northern Baffin Island contains fewer species and typically less ground coverage,compared with more southerly tundra environments. Vegetation communities include upland areasrecently emerged from under glacial ice; mixed tundra on lower slopes; heath tundra on drier slopesand sheltered banks; tundra polygons on expansive lacustrine or glacio-fluvial deposits; wetlands,and riparian associations.Terrestrial wildlife in the region is comprised of the following nine species: caribou, wolf, wolverine,arctic fox, red fox, ermine, Brown and Pearyland Collared lemmings, and arctic hare. Caribou in theregion are currently present at low densities, although existing trails, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ)and harvest records indicate a much greater distribution and abundance of caribou in the past. IQalso indicates that there potentially are three different types of caribou that can occupy the region:migratory, resident and mainland. Caribou observations in May 2006 suggested southernconcentration and resultant a south to north movement of primarily females sometimesaccompanied by yearlings. Longer distance movements were observed in early June, along withthe first sightings of males. The most extensive use of habitat by caribou appears to occur in spring,because of these directed movements to calving areas. In late June, a few new calves were seenin the vicinity of the Project. In July, caribou appear to use boulder fields and snow banks for insectrelief. During the one fall regional survey, caribou were seen exclusively in a corridor extending fromnorthwest to southeast through the Project, corresponding to high-value habitats within a naturalcorridor formed by river valleys and higher elevation terrain.A low density of carnivore dens in relation to widespread potential denning habitat suggests atypical low density of foxes and wolves, and a depressed prey base.Notable bird use in the area consists of some flyover of migratory birds (particularly geese) movingto and from Bylot Island, and an abundance of raptors and loons. Plenty of raptor nesting habitatexists throughout the region, and the Peregrine Falcon (subspecies tundris), which have beenrecovering from near extinction in the late 1960s and were upgraded from being ‘threatened’ tobeing a ‘species of special concern’ in 1992, are abundant throughout the region.Baffin Island has fewer fish species in freshwater than are found on the adjacent Nunavut mainlandand several islands in the western Arctic. Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) is the most abundant andwidely distributed fish species in the lakes, rivers, and streams of Baffin Island.During August and September, when shipping activities associated with the bulk sampling programare proposed, narwhal, bowhead whale, ringed seal, bearded seal, and harp seal are present withinPage iv of xviNB102-00181/6-1Revision 0November 20, 2006
Page 2 and 3: BAFFINLAND IRON MINES CORPORATIONMA
Page 6 and 7: the waters of Milne Inlet and Eclip
Page 8 and 9: Monitoring and Follow-up ProgramsTh
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Page 18 and 19: 2.14.3 Investigation Findings .....
Page 20 and 21: 5.3.2 Land and Resource Use .......
Page 22 and 23: SECTION 7.0 - CUMULATIVE EFFECTS...
Page 24 and 25: Figure 2.6 Rev. 0 2005 Sealift at M
Page 26 and 27: BAFFINLAND IRON MINES CORPORATIONMA
Page 28 and 29: (Wildlife Act), and the Federal Dep
Page 30 and 31: SECTION 2.0 - PROJECT DESCRIPTION2.
Page 32 and 33: • Carry out metallurgical testing
Page 34 and 35: program objectives with the minimum
Page 36 and 37: several days. A camp of some form i
Page 38 and 39: 2.5.9 Project Component 8 - Ship Si
Page 40 and 41: Ore will be extracted by blasting w
Page 42 and 43: 2.12 AIRCRAFT ACCESS AND TRAFFICThe
Page 44 and 45: 2.14 ALL-WEATHER ROAD CONSTRUCTION
Page 46 and 47: approximate catchment area. The loc
Page 48 and 49: document the quality of the complet
Page 50 and 51: 2.14.6 Assessment of Potential Navi
Page 52 and 53: e required to move the bulk sample
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an average excavation depth of 1.5
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2.16.1 Mary River CampThe existing
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and provide a base to respond to an
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Design considerations and proposed
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using a thermally designed thicknes
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SECTION 3.0 - TRAINING AND EMPLOYME
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SECTION 4.0 - PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT/ T
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There are currently no established
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5.1.4 Regional Bedrock GeologyThe N
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measured depths of permafrost of 50
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The extremely cold temperatures of
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established by the Canadian Council
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at Deposit Nos. 1 and 2. The most o
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low to very low in all of the water
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Plot data from 2005 is available on
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emergent semaphore grass (Pleuropog
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Two study areas were delineated, a
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such as polar bears, and in the cas
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FALCONIFORMES (Falcons and Hawks)
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Peregrine Falcons (subspecies tundr
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and fall migration periods. Because
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information on Baffin Island includ
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structure also changes. Benthic mac
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5.2.4.5 Fisheries - Overview of Roa
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The gradient and mesohabitat of BG-
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throughout the summer as evidenced
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5.2.5.2 Lower Trophic LevelsInforma
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distribution and abundance during A
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lower portion of Milne Inlet and wi
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The Eastern High Arctic/Baffin Bay
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Summary and ConclusionsA total of 2
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the reported harvest locations in A
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trips to shore to visit communities
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household income in 2003, after dec
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Between 1996 and 2001, the populati
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SECTION 6.0 - IDENTIFICATION OF IMP
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6.1.2.2 Proposed MitigationAll mini
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Camp lake has a surface area of app
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As the location(s) of arctic char s
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• Release of runoff from road fil
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The potential for fuel spills near
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high arctic region, compared lower
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orrow areas identified and surveyed
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mitigation are limited, and impacts
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in response to noise and disturbanc
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The Milne Inlet tote road transits
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mitigation will rehabilitate the ex
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Potential Impacts - Large Crossings
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The type of fish habitat compensati
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6.3.1 Noise6.3.1.1 Potential Impact
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ehavioural responses to a repeated
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Milne Inlet in the Absence of Shipp
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Perhaps the greatest concern associ
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The barges will operate only during
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within the shipping route is not de
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From this information, any spill th
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of Milne Inlet and Koluktoo Bay. Un
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6.3.6 Wildlife Protected Areas6.3.6
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and equipment. Possible ground nest
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areas are of sufficient size compar
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Records of land use and any disrupt
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6.5 POTENTIAL FOR TRANSBOUNDARY IMP
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SECTION 8.0 - MONITORING PLAN8.1 MO
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Summer surveys are not effective be
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esultant lack of reliability of the
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human resource strategies for a fut
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13. ---. Department of Indian Affai
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38. Crawford, R.E. and J.K. Jorgens
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64. Lepage, D., D.N. Nettleship and
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90. Read, C.J. “An Assessment of
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TABLE 2.1BAFFINLAND IRON MINES CORP
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Site NumberNorthing(m)Easting(m)Sta
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TABLE 2.10BAFFINLAND IRON MINES COR
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SpeciesTABLE 5.13BAFFINLAND IRON MI
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ParameterUnitTABLE 6.2BAFFINLAND IR
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LocationCodeRoadChainage(km)Catchme
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061211-Environmental Screening Report-IMAE.pdf - nirb

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