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Application for New Aquaculture Site Kadla Coulee

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Application for New Aquaculture Site Kadla Coulee Application for New Aquaculture Site At Kadla Coulee For: Wild West Steelhead March 16, 2010 Sweeney International Management Corp. 103 Milltown Blvd., P.O. Box 52 St. Stephen, NB, E3L 2W9 (506) 467-9014 & SIMCorp Marine Environmental Inc. 47B Harbour Drive, P.O. Box 340 Harbour Breton, NL, A0H 1P0 2008 Visionary of the Year 103 Milltown Blvd, P.O. Box 52 St. Stephen, N.B., E3L 2W9 Ph: (506) 467-9014 Fax: (506) 467-9503 www.simcorp.ca March 16, 2010 SIM Corp. File # SW2009-032 Dean Foss Wild West Steelhead Box 190 Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan CANADA S0L 1Z0 Dear Mr. Foss, Reference: Application for new aquaculture cage site at Kadla Coulee Please find enclosed the supporting materials for the above mentioned application for Lake Diefenbaker. If you have any questions or comments on the above noted report, please do not hesitate to contact me at 902-838-5180. Sincerely, Tara Daggett, M.Sc. Sr. Project Biologist Sweeney International Management Corp. [email protected] cc: Bob Sweeney (SIMCorp) Tom Maher (Sask Env) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Project: Application for new aquaculture cage site in Kadla Coulee, Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan, application for production increase of 300 MT of Oncorhynchus mykiss, and application for increase in permitted feed use by 450 MT. Wild West Steelhead (WWS) is making application for a new trout aquaculture site in Lake Diefenbaker in southern Saskatchewan. The new cage site is required in order to split production and prevent over-crowding of the stock on the existing cage site operation in Cactus Bay. The additional site will also allow WWS to realize a vital increase in production capacity. WWS currently has a demand for product they cannot meet at their present production capacity. An increase in production would help the business to grow and achieve better financial stability while providing more jobs to nearby townships. An additional cage site is preferable to increasing the production at the existing cage site in Cactus Bay. WWS feels that an increase of production in Cactus Bay could challenge the environment too far and could potentially negatively affect water quality and increase benthic impacts. The addition of a new cage site in Kadla Coulee is expected to have a few environmental effects. The benthos below the cage system will likely be impacted by organic sediment from the fish, possibly making it inhospitable to certain species of benthic organisms. However, this may be offset by augmentation of sediments surrounding the cage site, resulting in increased benthic invertebrate biomass and fecundity. WWS will strive to reduce as much as possible the impacts of the fish farm on the local environment by employing strict feed management resulting in little or no waste feed. Phosphorus concentrations in the water column are expected to increase somewhat at the cage site in Kadla Coulee, however, the increase in phosphorus is not expected to be significant or cause changes in the lake’s trophic level. The expansion of the WWS operations will create 5 or 6 new full time positions within the company. This will provide a boost to the local economy by giving unemployed people an opportunity to work. While the new cage site will occupy an area of 12 ha, access to the bay will not be blocked. Boaters and anglers will still be able to access the Bay for recreational activities. The north side of the bay, which is where the preferred anchorages are, will have the widest access. No conflicts with land owners are anticipated since WWS will access the site by boat or snow machine over ice. Only during the late fall and early spring when the ice on the lake is not safe to travel on will WWS crews travel over land to access the site. WWS crews will use the beaches at this time. Environmental impacts will be monitored as per the “Permit to Operate an Industrial Effluent Works”, should the new site be approved. It is expected that water quality monitoring at the cage site, upstream of the cage site, downstream of the cage site and inside the bay will be required by Saskatchewan Environment and will include measurement of variables such as phosphorus and nitrogen. Sediment monitoring will likely include sample locations at the cage site, upstream of the cage site and downstream of the cage site and will likely include measurement of nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon and also include a textural analysis. WWS also proposes to i monitor the shoreline near the Kadla Coulee cage site during scheduled beach clean-up events. A photo record of shoreline erosion will be maintained. As for the established site in Cactus Bay, contingency plans will be in place to aid WWS staff and crew members in responding to upset situations. First and foremost, all staff members receive Occupational Health and Safety training that is relevant to their work position within the company. In the event of a hazardous spill, spill kits are available for cleaning up the spill. Employees are directed to call the Provincial Enforcement Centre Spill Report Line. In the event of storm damage or destruction of equipment, site crews will assess the damage and make necessary repairs once it is deemed safe to do so. In the event of a mass escape from the net pens, Saskatchewan Environment will be notified and efforts made to recapture the lost fish. When WWS, its heirs, and/or agents are obligated to decommission the site, decommissioning will take place in conformance with all environmental regulations of that time. Decommissioning of the site will be conducted in a safe and efficient manner. Public consultation has been undertaken as part of the preparation for application for a new aquaculture site at Kadla Coulee. A couple of municipalities have expressed their support of the proposed expansion of the WWS operations (Coteau and Canaan, 2006) but a couple of concerns were raised by other stakeholders. One concern involved the proximity of the Coteau Hills Rural Water Pipeline to the proposed site (~ 2.3 km distance). Water quality, specifically the need to increase water treatment at downstream locations from the cage site, was addressed. Nitrate and nitrite are not foreseen to exceed Canadian drinking water standards, even in water collected at the cage site. Pathogen transfer from cultured fish to drinking water is considered an extremely low risk. Thus additional treatment at downstream water treatment plants is not foreseen to be necessary with the installation of the new cage site. A second concern raised by stakeholders was in relation to a filmy layer over the water near Cactus Bay. WWS believes that the phenomenon in question is related to the feed received by one of the suppliers. The film over the water is a sporadic event that is believed to be oil from the fish feed and the feed manufacturer is currently investigating the problem in an attempt to come up with a solution. Further public consultations will take place when open houses are held to bring information to concerned stakeholders and local citizens. The dates for the open houses have not yet been set but details of the open houses will be compiled into a report and submitted to Saskatchewan Environment. Sweeney International Management Corp. (SIMCorp) has assisted WWS in the application for a new cage site operation through the preparation and submission of the aforementioned report. All correspondence should be copied to SIMCorp. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 1.0 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................1 1.1 History .....................................................................................................1 1.2 Location...................................................................................................2 1.3 Operations...............................................................................................4 1.4 Employment ............................................................................................6 1.5 Environmental Protection ........................................................................8 1.5.1 Environmental Protection Activities ...................................................8 1.5.2 Water Source ....................................................................................8 1.5.3 Solid Waste .......................................................................................9 1.6 Other Users .............................................................................................9 1.7 Predator Control ....................................................................................10 1.8 Monitoring..............................................................................................10 1.9 Carrying Capacity of Lake Diefenbaker for Aquaculture........................13 1.10 Bibliography of Studies on the South Saskatchewan River Basin and Lake Diefenbaker ............................................................................................14 1.11 Project Team and Contact Information ..................................................16 2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION..................................................................................17 2.1 Project Ownership .................................................................................17 2.2 Location.................................................................................................17 2.3 Rationale ...............................................................................................17 2.4 Construction, Anticipated Schedule, and Project
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