Confirmation Letter from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
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Confirmation Letter from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Natural Heritage Assessment and Environmental Impact Study Barlow Solar Energy Centre Natural Heritage Assessment and Environmental Impact Study FINAL REPORT Prepared for: Barlow Energy Centre Limited Partnership 53 Jarvis Street, Suite 300 Toronto, Ontario M5C 2H2 Prepared by: Stantec Consulting Ltd. Suite 1-70 Southgate Drive Guelph, ON N1G 4P5 File No. 160960879 June 15, 2017 BARLOW SOLAR ENERGY CENTRE NATURAL HERITAGE ASSESSMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY This document entitled Barlow Solar Energy Centre Natural Heritage Assessment and Environmental Impact Study was prepared by Stantec Consulting Ltd. (“Stantec”) for the account of Barlow Energy Centre Limited Partnership (the “Client”). In connection with the Client’s application for a Renewable Energy Approval, this document may be reviewed and used by the following entities in the normal course of their review and approval process: (a) the MOECC; (b) the MNRF; (c) the MTCS; and (d) the Environmental Review Tribunal. Except as set forth in (a) through (d) above, any reliance on this document by any third party is strictly prohibited. The material in it reflects Stantec’s professional judgment in light of the scope, schedule and other limitations stated in the document and in the contract between Stantec and the Client. The opinions in the document are based on conditions and information existing at the time the document was published and do not take into account any subsequent changes. In preparing the document, Stantec did not verify information supplied to it by others, unless otherwise stated therein. Any use which a third party makes of this document is the responsibility of such third party. Such third party agrees that Stantec shall not be responsible for costs or damages of any kind, if any, suffered by it or any other third party as a result of decisions made or actions taken based on this document. Prepared by: Anna Corrigan, B.Sc. (Hons), Ecologist Prepared by: (signature) Melissa Straus, M.Sc. Terrestrial Ecologist Reviewed by: (signature) Nicole Kopysh, BES Project Manager/ Ecologist BARLOW SOLAR ENERGY CENTRE NATURAL HERITAGE ASSESSMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY Table of Contents ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................................... I 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1.1 1.1 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................... 1.1 1.2 PROJECT LOCATION AND ZONE OF INVESTIGATION ................................................ 1.1 1.3 REPORT REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................. 1.2 1.4 GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS .............................................................................................. 1.3 2.0 RECORDS REVIEW ........................................................................................................2.1 2.1 METHODS ........................................................................................................................ 2.1 2.2 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................ 2.2 2.2.1 Wetlands ....................................................................................................... 2.2 2.2.2 Woodlands ................................................................................................... 2.3 2.2.3 Wildlife Habitat ............................................................................................. 2.3 2.2.4 Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSIs) ....................................... 2.4 2.2.5 Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves ........................................... 2.5 2.2.6 Summary of Natural Features and Boundaries Identified ...................... 2.5 3.0 SITE INVESTIGATIONS ..................................................................................................3.1 3.1 METHODS ........................................................................................................................ 3.1 3.1.1 Alternative Site Investigation Methods ..................................................... 3.1 3.1.2 Vegetation Community and Vascular Plants Assessment..................... 3.2 3.1.3 Wetland Confirmation and Delineation ................................................... 3.2 3.1.4 Woodlands ................................................................................................... 3.2 3.1.5 Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat ....................................................................... 3.2 3.2 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................ 3.3 3.2.1 Wetlands ....................................................................................................... 3.4 3.2.2 Woodlands ................................................................................................... 3.4 3.2.3 Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat ....................................................................... 3.5 3.3 SITE INVESTIGATION RESULTS SUMMARY ...................................................................... 3.5 4.0 EVALUATION OF SIGNIFICANCE ................................................................................4.1 4.1 METHODS ........................................................................................................................ 4.1 4.1.1 Wetlands ....................................................................................................... 4.1 4.1.2 Woodlands ................................................................................................... 4.4 4.1.3 Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat ....................................................................... 4.5 4.2 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................ 4.5 4.2.1 Wetlands ....................................................................................................... 4.5 4.2.2 Woodlands ................................................................................................... 4.5 4.2.3 Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat ....................................................................... 4.5 4.3 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... 4.5 4.4 QUALIFICATIONS ............................................................................................................ 4.6 BARLOW SOLAR ENERGY CENTRE NATURAL HERITAGE ASSESSMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY 5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY ...............................................................................5.1 5.1 SUMMARY OF PROJECT COMPONENTS ...................................................................... 5.1 5.1.1 Solar Panels .................................................................................................. 5.2 5.1.2 Access Roads ............................................................................................... 5.2 5.1.3 Inverters and Step-Up Transformers ........................................................... 5.3 5.1.4 Substation ..................................................................................................... 5.4 5.1.5 Operations and Maintenance Storage Area .......................................... 5.4 5.1.6 Perimeter Fence .......................................................................................... 5.5 5.1.7 Construction Staging and Temporary Construction Areas ................... 5.5 5.1.8 Construction Timeline and Activities ......................................................... 5.6 5.2 POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT ......................................................................... 5.7 5.2.1 Significant Wetlands .................................................................................... 5.7 5.2.2 Significant Woodlands .............................................................................. 5.10 5.2.3 Generalized Candidate Significant Wildlife Habitat ............................ 5.12 5.2.4 Amphibian Movement Corridor .............................................................. 5.14 5.2.5 Best Management Practices and Other General Construction Mitigation .................................................................................................... 5.17 5.3 MONITORING PLAN ..................................................................................................... 5.18 5.4 SUMMARY OF IMPACTS AND MITIGATION ................................................................ 5.19 6.0 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................6.1 LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1: Summary of Natural Features Identified in Records Review for the Project Location and ZOI ....................................................................................... 2.5 Table 3.1: Summary of Corrections to Records Review ....................................................... 3.5 Table 4.1: Summary of Significant Natural Features Carried Forward to EIS ..................... 4.6 BARLOW SOLAR ENERGY CENTRE NATURAL HERITAGE ASSESSMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY LIST OF