PRELIMINARY SCREENING REPORT FORM

PRELIMINARY SCREENER: Sabrina Sturman EIRB REFERENCE NUMBER:

REFERENCE / FILE NUMBER: S15J-002 TITLE: Regulatory Specialist

APPLICANT: AANDC-CARD ORGANIZATION: Sahtu Land and Water Board

DATE: July 16, 2015

Type of Development: (H) Fuel Storage Site

Type of Development:  New Development (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)  Amend, EIRB Ref. #  Renew, EIRB Ref. #  Requires permit, licence or authorization  Does not require permit, licence or authorization

Project Summary: Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development – Contaminants and Remediation Directorate (CARD) is the custodian of the Canol Trail, which has been identified as a Federal contaminated site. Activities proposed by CARD are intended to reduce the physical hazard associated with wire strewn along the entire length of the Trail (372 km). Community consultation has identified this project as priority due to the entanglement hazard for antlered wildlife (with documented animal loss) and tripping hazard for trail users. The

Sahtu Land Claim Agreement allows for but does not require the establishment of a Territorial Park along the Canol Trail and Dodo Canyon. The Sahtu Land Use Plan has identified the area as Zone 39: Do Et’Q (Doi T’oh Territorial Park and Canol Heritage Trail Reservation).

CARD is applying to the Sahtu Land and Water Board for a Type A LUP permit for establishing campsites outside of a territorial park for more than 400 person-days (11 to 15 people for 3 to 6 week collection periods)

Camp locations have yet to be finalized and will move along the Trail as the project progresses. Due to logistical constraints the project has been proposed to occur over multiple years (4) and only during summer months with no over winter storage of equipment or fuel. Water use is expected to be less than 10m3/day. Access to Sahtu Settlement Areas is not expected as CARD plans to stay within the excluded lands. As a result, select sections of of the Trail are restricted to 30 m from the Trail centre and CARD requests an exemption from standard practice to store fuel and camp generated water waste at least 100 m of the observed high water mark, at the discretion of a Land Use Inspector.

Scope: The scope of work will include: • Mobilization (Fixed wing or rotary aircraft) • Temporary camp operation (soft walled tents, shower unit, kitchen, medic, personal quarters, etc.) • Storage of fuel (TOTAL) • Brush cutting to access wire as required (brush saws and chainsaws) • Collection of wire • Use of ATV and/or ARGO units for transportation of crews and wagons for collected wire • Consolidation of wire at transfer locations to be securely stored (future remediation work) • Demobilization

Principal Activities (related to scoping) (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

 Construction  Exploration  Decommissioning

 Installation  Industrial  Abandonment

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 Maintenance  Recreation  Aerial

 Expansion  Municipal  Harvesting

 Operation  Quarry  Camp

 Repair  Linear / Corridor  Scientific / Research

 Water Intake  Sewage  Solid Waste

 Other: Fuel Storage

(DESCRIBE)

Principal Development Components (related to scoping) (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

 Access Road  Waste Management  construction  disposal of hazardous waste  abandonment/removal  waste generation  modification e.g., widening, straightening  drilling wastes and hydraulic flowback fluids  Automobile, Aircraft or Vessel Movement  Sewage  Blasting  disposal of sewage  Building  Geoscientific Sampling  Burning  trenching  Burying  diamond drill  Channeling  borehole core sampling  Cut and Fill  Bulk soil sampling  Cutting of Trees or Removal of Vegetation  Gravel  Dams and Impoundments  Hydrological Testing  construction  Site Restoration  abandonment/removal  fertilization  modification  grubbing  Ditch Construction  planting/seeding  Drainage Alteration  reforestation  Drilling other than Geoscientific  scarify  Ecological Surveys  spraying  Excavation  recontouring  Explosive Storage  Slashing and removal of vegetation  Fuel Storage  Soil Testing  Topsoil, Overburden or Soil  Stream Crossing/Bridging  fill  Tunneling/Underground  disposal  removal  Water Intake  storage  Other

NTS Topographic Map Sheet Numbers

NTS Map Sheet #s: 105O1, 105O8, 105P10, 105P11, 105P15, 105P5, 105P6, 106A1, 106A2, 106A8, 96D11, 96D12, 96D14, 96D5, 96E2, 96E3, 96E6, 96E7 (LIST ALL THAT APPLY)

Latitude/Longitude and UTM System:

Minimum Latitude: N65° 15’ 10 Maximum Latitude: N63° 18’1 Minimum Longitude: W126°58’34 Maximum Longitude: W129°49’6

(DEGREES, MINUTES, SECONDS, MAP SHEET)

2 Nearest Community and Water Body: The Town of is located northwest of Mile O on the opposite side of the . The nearest larger water bodies are the Carcajou River, Twitya River, Bolstead Creek

Land Status (consultation information) (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

 Free Hold / Private  Commissioner’s Land  Federal Crown Land  Municipal Land

Transboundary Implications (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY - IF KNOWN & APPLICABLE)

 British Columbia  Alberta  Saskatchewan   Nunavut  Wood Buffalo National Park  Inuvialuit Settlement Region

 N/A

Type of Transboundary Implication:  Impact / Effect  Development

 Public Concern ______(DESCRIBE)

 N/A

PHYSICAL - CHEMICAL EFFECTS

IMPACT MITIGATION

1. Groundwater

 Water table alteration

 Water quality changes 1. If fuel spills it may migrate into groundwater. 2. A Spill Contingency Plan has been developed in accordance with INAC’s Guidelines for Spill Contingency Planning, April 2007. 3. Standard spill kits will be located wherever fuel is stored or transferred 4. Portable drip pans will be used during refueling ATVs to avoid any leaks/drips on the land 5. A site foreman or designate will conduct weekly visual inspections to check for leaks and damage to the fuel storage containers and transfer equipment, as well as check for stained or discoloured soils around the fuel storage areas and motorized equipment. 6. Regular maintenance and oil checks of all motorized equipment will be undertaken to avoid preventable leaks 7. Fuel transfer will be supervised by the Departmental Representative to ensure compliance with all permit requirements and contingency plans developed for the activities 8. If a reportable spill occurs, it will be reported to the NWT 24-Hour Spill Report Line at (867) 920-8130 or [email protected] 9. Minor spills will be tracked and documented by the Contractor and submitted to the appropriate authority either immediately upon request or at a pre-determined reporting interval.

 Infiltration changes

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 Other:

 N/A

IMPACT MITIGATION

1. Surface Water

 Water flow or level changes

 Water quality changes 1. Fuel may be stored 30m from ordinary high water mark, if approved in writing by an Inspector 2. Grey water sumps may be located 30m from ordinary high water mark, if approved in writing by an Inspector. 3. A Spill Contingency Plan has been developed in accordance with INAC’s Guidelines for Spill Contingency Planning, April 2007. 4. Standard spill kits will be located wherever fuel is stored or transferred 5. Portable drip pans will be used during refueling ATVs to avoid any leaks/drips on the land 6. A site foreman or designate will conduct weekly visual inspections to check for leaks and damage to the fuel storage containers and transfer equipment, as well as check for stained or discoloured soils around the fuel storage areas and motorized equipment. 7. Regular maintenance and oil checks of all motorized equipment will be undertaken to avoid preventable leaks 8. Fuel transfer will be supervised by the Departmental Representative to ensure compliance with all permit requirements and contingency plans developed for the activities 9. If a reportable spill occurs, it will be reported to the NWT 24-Hour Spill Report Line at (867) 920-8130 or [email protected] 10. Minor spills will be tracked and documented by the Contractor and submitted to the appropriate authority either immediately upon request or at a pre-determined reporting interval.

 Water quantity changes

 Drainage pattern changes

 Temperature

 Wetland changes / loss

 Other:

 N/A

IMPACT MITIGATION

2. Noise

 Noise increase 1. Any increase in noise disturbance from camp operations and/or wire collection will be localized and temporary in nature and have no anticipated long term effects. 2. All hand tools and ATVs will be in good working order to minimize noise impacts

 Noise in/near water 1. Any increase in noise disturbance from camp operations and/or wire

4 collection will be localized and temporary in nature and have no anticipated long term effects. 2. All hand tools and ATVs will be in good working order to minimize noise impacts

 Other:

 N/A

IMPACT MITIGATION

3. Land

 Geologic structure changes

 Soil contamination 1. Soil contamination is possible in the case of a spill. 2. A Spill Contingency Plan has been developed in accordance with INAC’s Guidelines for Spill Contingency Planning, April 2007. 3. Standard spill kits will be located wherever fuel is stored or transferred. 4. Portable drip pans will be used during refueling ATVs to avoid any leaks/drips on the land. 5. A site foreman or designate will conduct weekly visual inspections to check for leaks and damage to the fuel storage containers and transfer equipment, as well as check for stained or discoloured soils around the fuel storage areas and motorized equipment. 6. Regular maintenance and oil checks of all motorized equipment will be undertaken to avoid preventable leaks. 7. Fuel transfer will be supervised by the Departmental Representative to ensure compliance with all permit requirements and contingency plans developed for the activities. 8. If a reportable spill occurs, it will be reported to the NWT 24-Hour Spill Report Line at (867) 920-8130 or [email protected] 9. Minor spills will be tracked and documented by the Contractor and submitted to the appropriate authority either immediately upon request or at a pre-determined reporting interval.

 Ground disturbance 1. Collection and consolidation of the wire will be conducted primary manually with little to no impact to land systems 2. Access to the site and mobilization/de-mobilization of equipment will be by fixed wing or rotary aircraft. 3. All efforts will be made to use existing infrastructure (e.g. airstrips) as to reduce any potential impact to the land from aircrafts 4. Existing access routes along the trail will be utilized were possible, 5. Transportation along the trail will be completed through the use of ATVs and use will be restricted to program activities (e.g. camp use, transportation to/from wire, etc.) and primarily within the impacted area. 6. Where road access has been degraded, all efforts will be made to reduce any impacts to the land from ATV use 7. Any potential impact associated with site access will be mitigated by employing techniques found within the current AANDC Northern Land Use Guidelines – Access: Roads and Trails and for Camp and Support Facilities

 Buffer zone loss

5  Soil compaction & settling

 Destabilization / erosion 1. All clearing of vegetation is to occur along the Telephone alignment which predominant consists of previously disturbed areas.

 Permafrost regime alteration

 Other:

 N/A

IMPACT MITIGATION

4. Non Renewable Natural Resources

Resource depletion 1. Equipment and vehicles using fossil fuels will be utilized in the most efficient manner possible in order to minimize program fossil fuel requirements.

 Other

 N/A

IMPACT MITIGATION

5. Air / Climate / Atmosphere

 Greenhouse gases 1. Vehicles and equipment, using fossil fuels, emit substances that contribute to air pollution and global warming. The cumulative effects of these activities are an unavoidable impact of fossil fuel usage. The cumulative effects are unknown. 2. All hand tools and ATVs will be in good working order to minimize excess exhaust emissions.

BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT

IMPACT MITIGATION

1. Vegetation

 Species composition 1. Clearing of vegetation may be required to access the wire and clear a laydown for camp(s). 2. All clearing of vegetation is to occur along the existing Canol Trail alignment with the exception of some areas where the wire may have been moved outside of the alignment/route (buffer of ~30m from trail centre). 3. All efforts will be made to reduce the amount of vegetation required to be removed. 4. Manual removal will be the primary method, followed by removal of vegetation using powered hand-held tools. 5. Minimizing brush removal will mitigate soil erosion and enhance re-

6 growth potential

 Species introduction 1. No intentional introduction of non-native vegetation species will occur.

 Toxin / heavy metal accumulation

 Loss of timber along seismic lines

 Damage to ground 1. Clearing of vegetation may be required to access the wire and clear a vegetation and permafrost laydown for camp(s) 2. All clearing of vegetation is to occur along the existing Canol Trail alignment with the exception of some areas where the wire may have been moved outside of the alignment/route (buffer of ~30m from trail centre). 3. All efforts will be made to reduce the amount of vegetation required to be removed. 4. Manual removal will be the primary method, followed by removal of vegetation using powered hand-held toolds. 5. Minimizing brush removal will mitigate soil erosion and enhance re- growth potential

 Increased fire hazard 1. Incineration of waste will likely be used in the camp operations on Canol Trail. The incinerator will be designed and operated to treat suitable waste types and quantities. 2. An incineration management plan will be submitted as part of the Camp Plan 3. Clean ash from this operation would be collected and shipped off-site for disposal

 N/A

IMPACT MITIGATION

2. Wildlife & Fish

 Effects on rare, threatened or endangered species

 Fish population changes

 Waterfowl population

 Breeding disturbances 1. If active bird nests are encountered during project activities, the nesting area will be avoided until nesting is complete.

 Population reduction

 Species diversity change

 Health changes (identify) 1. The project will remove physical hazard to wildlife and trail users. 2. Spills of fuel could be harmful to wildlife and aquatic life. 3. All spills will be cleaned up according to the Spill Contingency Plan.

7  Behavioral changes (identify)

 Habitat changes / effects

 Game species effects

 Toxins / heavy metals

 Forestry changes

 Agricultural changes

 Other:

 N/A

INTERACTING ENVIRONMENT

1. Habitat & Communities

 Predator-prey

 Wildlife habitat / ecosystem 1. Activities occurring during sensitive periods identified in SLUP (Table composition changes 4. Wildlife Setbacks, Minimum Altitude and Sensitive Periods) for wolf, Dall’s sheep, Mountain goat, raptors, and waterfowl. 2. Wire clean-up activities will remove entanglement risk to antlered animals (moose and caribou) 3. A Wildlife Management Plan will be in place to guide the activities to avoid negative impacts to local wildlife 4. Up to two (2) wildlife monitors will be onsite for duration of project 5. Mitigation measures to prevent wildlife from accessing food, domestic wastes, and petroleum-based chemicals will be included in the plan.

 Reduction / removal of keystone or endangered species

 Removal of wildlife corridor or buffer zone

 Other: Canadian Important Bird Areas

1. Social & Economic

 Planning / zoning changes or conflicts

 Rental house

 Airport operations / capacity changes

 Human health hazard 1. Hazardous materials on-site will be primarily limited to fuel 2. Wire clean-up activities will remove physical hazard for hikers 3. On-site work requires working on or near Class 1 contaminated sites 4. Anyone handling hazardous material on-site will be required to wear

8 all personal protective equipment. 5. All personnel are required to support and comply with the Environment, Health and Safety program, making safety, health and protection of the environment a part of their daily routine and ensuring that they follow safe work methods and relevant regulations.

 Impair the recreational use of water or aesthetic quality

 Affect water use for other purposes

 Affect other land use operations

 Quality of life changes

 Public concern

 Other:

 N/A

1. Cultural & Heritage

 Affects to historic property

 Increased economic pressure

 Changes to or loss of historic resources

 Changes to or loss of archeological resources

 Increased pressure on archeological resources

 Effects to aboriginal 1. AANDC will follow contractual Aboriginal Opportunity Consideration lifestyle requirements and attempt to maximize the employment and business opportunities for Tulita District, and other Sahtu beneficiaries.

 Other: Incorporation of 1. Traditional knowledge and land use information will be gathered from local knowledge/community local elders, hunters and trappers, and monitors to help identify consultation important and sensitive community values in the area and if necessary, monitor impacts to these from the proposed activities (Sahtu Land Use Planning Board 2011). 2. AANDC-CARD will continue engagement efforts with local communities to address concerns, improve understanding of potential effects of the Program, develop appropriate mitigation and monitoring programs,

9 PRELIMINARY SCREENER / REFERRING BODY INFORMATION (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

RA or ADVISE PERMIT DRA REQUIRED Federal ATOMIC ENERGY CONTROL BOARD    CANADIAN HERITAGE    CANADIAN TRANSPORTATION AGENCY    ENVIRONMENT CANADA    FISHERIES & OCEANS    ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS AND NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT CANADA    INDUSTRY CANADA    NATIONAL DEFENSE    NATIONAL ENERGY BOARD    NATURAL RESOURCES    PUBLIC WORKS & GOVERNMENT SERVICES    TRANSPORT CANADA    CANADIAN NUCLEAR SAFETY COMMISSION   

Territorial MUNICIPAL & COMMUNITY AFFAIRS    PUBLIC WORKS & GOVERNMENT SERVICES    ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES    TRANSPORTATION    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES    PRINCE OF WALES NORTHERN HERITAGE CENTRE    INDUSTRY, TOURISM AND INVESTMENT    LANDS    OFFICE OF THE REGULATOR OF OIL AND GAS OPERATIONS   

Boards GWICH’IN LAND & WATER BOARD    SAHTU LAND & WATER BOARD    MACKENZIE VALLEY LAND & WATER BOARD    MACKENZIE VALLEY ENVIR. IMPACT REVIEW BOARD    SAHTU LAND USE PLANNING BOARD    SAHTU RENEWABLE RESOURCES BOARD    SAHTU HEALTH BOARD   

Aboriginal / First Nation SAHTU SECRETARIAT INCORPORATED    FORT NORMAN WELLS METIS LAND CORPORATION    FORT NORMAN WELLS RENEWABLE RESOURCES COUNCIL    NORMAN WELLS LAND CORPORATION    NORMAN WELLS RENEWABLE RESOURCE COUNCIL    TULITA RENEWABLE RESOURCES COUNCIL    TULITA LAND CORPORATION    TULITA BAND COUNCIL    TULITA DISTRICT LAND CORPORATION   

Local Government TOWN OF NORMAN WELLS   

10 REASONS FOR DECISION (LIST ALL REASONS AND SUPPORTING RATIONALES FOR PRELIMINARY SCREENING DECISION)

• Adequate time has been given to Reviewers to provide potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures on information as requested from the Proponent during the Initial review period. • The effects of the Program on the environment can take place in an environmentally responsible manner provided that mitigation measures are followed.

PRELIMINARY SCREENING DECISION

Outside Local Government Boundaries O The development proposal might have a significant adverse Impact on the environment, refer it to the EIRB. Y Proceed with regulatory process and/or implementation. O The development proposal might have public concern, refer it to the EIRB.

Y Proceed with regulatory process and/or implementation.

o Wholly within Local Government Boundaries O The development proposal is likely to have a significant adverse Impact on air, water or renewable resources, refer it to the EIRB. o Proceed with regulatory process and/or Implementation. o The development proposal might have public concern, refer It to the EIRB. o Proceed with regulatory process and/or Implementation.

Preliminary Screening Organization Sahtu Land & Water Board

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