Keeyask Generation Project Environmental Overview
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Keeyask Generation Project Environmental Overview April 2015 - March 2016 Monitoring Advisory Committee Members Tataskweyak Cree Nation Victor Spence Councillor Nathan Neckoway Joseph Harvey War Lake First Nation Councillor Dwayne Flett Councillor Roy Ouskun York Factory First Nation Roy Redhead Jimmy Beardy Fox Lake Cree Nation Brandy Bone Councillor Shawna Henderson Manitoba Hydro Carolyne Northover, Chair Kurt Fey Jodine MacDuff Mark Manzer Russ Schmidt Diana Mager, Recording Secretary For more information on this report go to Keeyask.com Table of Contents Message from the Chair . 2 Aquatic Effects Monitoring . 25 Introduction . 3 Water Quality . 25 Environmental Protection Program . 5 Benthic Invertebrates . 26 Generation Project Status . 7 Mercury in FIsh . 26 Environmental Protection Plan . 9 Lake Sturgeon . 27 Dewatering of Construction Areas . .9 . Fish Movements . 28 Fish Salvage . 10 Fisheries Mitigation . 31 South Access Road . 11 Sturgeon Stocking . 31 Erosion and Sediment Control . 12 Zebra Mussel Monitoring . 33 Spills and Spill Response . 12 Terrestrial Monitoring . 34 Clearing and Sensitive Sites . 13 Terrestrial Habitat . 34 . Pre-Clearing Nest Surveys . 13 Terrestrial Plants . 36 Species at Risk . 14 Birds . 38 Bald Eagle Nests . 14 Mammals . 41 Gull and Tern Control Program . 15 Terrestrial Mitigation . 43 Wildlife . 16 Wetland Development . 43 Bear Relocations . 16 Gull and Tern Habitat Replacement . 44 Bear and Wolf Dens . 17 Other Bird Habitat Replacement . 44 Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Monitoring . .18 Frog Habitat Replacement . 45 Cree Nation Partners – An Overview of the ATK Monitoring Program . 18 Beaver and Muskrat Mitigation Measures . 45 York Factory First Nation – Askiy Nanakacihtakewin Stewardship Program . 19 Vegetation Rehabilitation . 46 Fox Lake Cree Nation – Aski Keskentamowin Monitoring . 20 Resource Use Monitoring . 47 Physical Environment Monitoring . 22 Waterways Management Program . 48 Water and Ice Regime . 22 Socio-Economic Monitoring . 50 Sedimentation . 23 Economic Monitoring . 50. Sediment Management . 24 Social Monitoring . 58 Mercury and Human Health . 68 Heritage Resources Protection and Mitigation . 69 Public Engagement . 71 Map of Monitoring Locations . 72 Keeyask Generation Project - Environmental Overview Message from the Chair of the General Partner of KHLP On behalf of the Keeyask Hydropower Limited Partnership (KHLP), I am pleased to present the Keeyask Generation Project (the Project) Environmental Overview. The Environmental Overview summarizes the results of the Environmental Protection Program, which includes both western science and Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge. The 2015/2016 Overview outlines the first full year of environmental monitoring during Project construction. Over the past year, a number of important milestones were achieved. Manitoba Hydro acting as the Project Manager on behalf of the KHLP received approval from the Province for all plans in the Environmental Protection Program. The first annual submissions of reports were submitted to the regulator in June 2015. These technical reports provide the environmental management, mitigation and monitoring results of the Project according to the terms and conditions of The Environment Act Licence, for the 2014/2015 year. The partner First Nation communities worked together and with Manitoba Hydro to initiate development of community-specific Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge (ATK) monitoring programs for the Project. Work on these is underway and will provide important insights into our efforts to minimize Project effects on the environment. The anticipated environmental effects experienced during the construction and operation of the Project are being carefully mitigated and monitored by the KHLP. A flexible and robust adaptive management program was developed to allow the Partnership to identify and address any unanticipated effects in a timely and comprehensive way. Project updates are regularly provided through the KHLP website at www.Keeyask.com. The Environmental Protection Program plans, regulatory reports and other Project related activities can be found on the site as well. The KHLP Board extends their thanks to all those who contributed their wisdom and time to developing environmental programs that will help provide long term benefits to the Project. Sincerely, Lorne Midford Chair of the General Partner of Keeyask Hydropower Limited Partnership (5900345 Manitoba Ltd.)) Introduction For over a century, Manitobans have come to rely on Hudson Bay clean, renewable hydroelectricity to power their homes, SizeB Landscape BTB DEC- 2011 industries and businesses. With abundant water Thompson resources available for future development, Manitoba Lake Split Winnipeg is well-poised to take advantage of the public’s growing Lake RMA Winnipeg demand for electrical energy — both within the TL RC60 Keeyask Limestone PR 280 G.S. province and in export markets. The 695-megawatt G.S. Fox Lake Cree Nation Fox Lake (Bird) Henday C.S. S Keeyask Generation Project will help meet that TE Long P H N E orth Acc N Spruce ess R S oad Kettle G.S. demand. Keeyask is located within the Split Lake G.S. Keeyask LAKE G.S. Gillam Radisson C.S. NELSON RIVER Resource Management Area and will be the fourth South Access R oad GULL LAKE Fox Lake Cree Nation AA Birthday A Kwis Ki Mahka Reserve A CLARK Rapids M A largest generating station (GS) in Manitoba with LAKE RR MM RR Tataskweyak Cree Nation ee kk Tataskweyak (Split Lake) ee a first unit in-service date of 2019. aa kk LL aa TL KS37 tt LL ii ll HUDSON BAY RAILWAY xx RIVER pp oo Manitoba Hydro and four Cree Nations known SS FF York Factory First Nation TL KN36 Kelsey York Landing (Kawechiwasik) Bipoles 1 & 2 collectively as the partner First Nations: Tataskweyak G.S. ralLocationMap_Update_21MARCH2014.mxd TL KH38 War Lake First Nation Ilford Cree Nation and War Lake First Nation (working Y o r k F a c t o r y R M A together as the Cree Nation Partners); Fox Lake Cree DATA SOURCE: Manitoba Hydro; GovernmentLegend of Manitoba; Government of CanadaGeneratingLegend Station (Existing) Highway Transmission Line Nation and York Factory First Nation have formed the 50 10 Kilometers Highway Proposed Road Corridor General Project Keeyask GeneratingGenerating Station Station (Existing) Access Road Proposed Road Corridor CREATED BY: Access Road First Nation Reserve General Manitoba Hydro - Hydro Power Planning - GIS & Special Studies Keeyask Hydropower Limited Partnership (KHLP) to Keeyask Generating Station South Access Road Resource Management Area COORDINATE SYSTEM: DATE CREATED: REVISIONConverter DATE: Station South Access Road First Nation Reserve Location Rail Project Location40 8 Miles UTM NAD 1983 Z15N 03-AUG-11 21-MAR-14 Converter Station 0 5 10 Kilometres Transmission Line VERSION NO: QA/QC:Keeyask Principal Structures Rail Resource Management Area develop this Project in an environmentally and socially 2.0 Approved Keeyask Principal Structures 048Miles File Location: \\geodata\warehouse\Warehouse_Groups\Power_Supply\Projects\Keeyask\Maps\One_Offs\Carolyne_Northover\Keeyask_Gene Location: File responsible manner. The ongoing development of this Project is guided by the Joint Keeyask Development Agreement (JKDA) which outlines the terms for the partnership, ownership, construction, and operation of the Project. Keeyask Generation Project - Environmental Overview 3 Keeyask will be the fifth hydroelectric GS constructed During the Project planning and design process, This Environmental Overview describes the Program on the lower Nelson River and is located in the Split the KHLP identified measures to avoid or reduce and gives a summary of what was undertaken Lake Resource Management Area within the ancestral and mitigate the Project’s environmental effects and and learned in the 2015/2016 fiscal year homeland of all four partner First Nations. Manitoba determined what needed to be monitored to verify the (April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016). Hydro and the partner First Nations have worked predicted effects. All measures identified are included together for well over a decade to develop the Project in a series of documents that describe in detail and, for the first time in their history, the partner what needs to be done to protect the environment. First Nations have the ability to provide meaningful Collectively these documents are called the Keeyask input into a hydroelectric development project. Also Environmental Protection Program (the Program). for the first time in their history, through various employment, business, as well as potential income opportunities, the partner First Nations are benefitting from a hydroelectric project in their homeland. 4 Environmental Protection Program Environmental approvals, including a Manitoba Environmental Management Plans – focus on Environmental Monitoring Plans – describe the Environment Act Licence and a federal Fisheries Act specific environmental issues such as sediment activities to be undertaken for the monitoring of Authorization, were issued to the KHLP in July 2014 management, access management, fish habitat effects of construction and operational activities on the after a thorough regulatory and public review process. and heritage resources; and biological, physical and socio-economic environments. Keeyask’s Environmental Protection Program was developed to mitigate, manage and monitor environmental effects identified during the regulatory review process. The Program is made up of a number Environmental Protection Program (The