NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Horn River Mainline Project February 2010 / 6391 APPENDIX 1 SPRING/SUMMER AQUATIC HABITAT INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE NOVA GAS TRANSMISSION LTD. HORN RIVER MAINLINE PROJECT SPRING/SUMMER AQUATIC HABITAT INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE PROPOSED NOVA GAS TRANSMISSION LTD. HORN RIVER MAINLINE PROJECT February 2010 6391 Prepared for: Prepared by: NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. TERA Environmental Consultants A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of TransCanada PipeLines Limited Suite 1100, 815 - 8th Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta T2P 3P2 Calgary, Alberta. Ph: 403-265-2885 NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. Aquatic Assessment Horn River Mainline Project February 2010 / 6391 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Project Description.............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Study Area .......................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Fish Community ..................................................................................................................3 1.4 Regulatory Requirements ................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Scope of Work..................................................................................................................... 7 2.0 METHODS ....................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Field Crew Structure and Scheduling ................................................................................. 8 2.2 Fish and Fish Habitat Investigations................................................................................... 8 2.3 Open Water Aquatic Habitat Assessment .......................................................................... 9 2.4 Fish Inventories................................................................................................................... 9 2.5 Vegetation in Riparian Areas .............................................................................................. 9 2.6 Traditional Ecological Knowledge..................................................................................... 10 3.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................... 11 3.1 Field Crew Structure ......................................................................................................... 11 3.2 Watercourse Crossings..................................................................................................... 11 3.2.1 Aquatic Habitat Assessment ................................................................................ 12 3.2.2 Fish Habitat Potential........................................................................................... 13 3.2.3 Fish Inventories.................................................................................................... 16 3.2.4 Instream Timing Windows.................................................................................... 16 3.3 Fish-Bearing Non-Classified Drainages............................................................................ 19 3.3.1 Aquatic Habitat Assessment ................................................................................ 19 3.3.2 Fish Habitat Potential........................................................................................... 19 3.3.3 Fish Inventories.................................................................................................... 19 3.3.4 Instream Timing Windows.................................................................................... 20 3.4 Vegetation in Riparian Areas ............................................................................................ 20 3.5 Traditional Ecological Knowledge Results........................................................................ 23 4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................................................................. 24 4.1 Recommended Crossing Methods for Watercourses....................................................... 24 4.1.1 Recommended Pipeline Crossing Methods......................................................... 24 4.1.2 Contingency Pipeline Crossing Methods ............................................................. 31 4.1.3 Recommended Vehicle and Equipment Crossing Methods ................................ 31 4.2 Recommended Crossing Methods for Fish-Bearing Non-Classified Drainages............... 31 4.2.1 Recommended Pipeline Crossing Methods......................................................... 31 4.2.2 Contingency Pipeline Crossing Methods ............................................................. 32 4.2.3 Recommended Vehicle and Equipment Crossing Methods ................................ 32 4.3 Recommended Riparian Area Management .................................................................... 32 4.4 Recommended Crossing Methods for Non-Fish-Bearing Non-Classified Drainages.......................................................................................................................... 33 5.0 MITIGATION .................................................................................................................................. 34 5.1 Standard Mitigation ........................................................................................................... 34 5.2 Mitigation for an Isolated Pipeline Crossing...................................................................... 35 5.3 Mitigation for Open Cut Pipeline Crossings if Water Present ........................................... 36 5.4 Mitigation for Dry or Frozen to Bottom Open Cut Pipeline Crossings .............................. 37 5.5 Mitigation for Trenchless Pipeline Crossings.................................................................... 38 5.6 Mitigation for Vehicle and Equipment Crossings .............................................................. 38 Page i NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. Aquatic Assessment Horn River Mainline Project February 2010 / 6391 5.7 Mitigation for Riparian Area Management ........................................................................ 39 5.8 Effectiveness of Recommended Mitigation....................................................................... 40 5.9 Mitigation for Navigable Watercourses ............................................................................. 40 6.0 SUMMARY / CLOSING.................................................................................................................. 41 7.0 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................... 42 7.1 Personal Communications ................................................................................................ 42 7.2 Literature Cited.................................................................................................................. 42 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1A Watercourse Site Records ................................................................................................ 45 Appendix 1B Fish-Bearing Non-Classified Drainages Site Records...................................................... 65 Appendix 1C Non-Classified Drainages Site Records............................................................................ 69 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Regional Location of Watercourse Crossings along NGTL Horn River Mainline Project................................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2 Fish Symbol Map for Watercourse Crossings along the NGTL Horn River Mainline Project................................................................................................................. 30 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Fish Species That May Occur in the Study Area Within the Sahtaneh River Watershed Group................................................................................................................ 5 Table 2 Fish Species That May Occur in the Study Area Within the Kotcho Lake Watershed Group................................................................................................................ 5 Table 3 Timing Windows of Least Risk for the Peace Region......................................................... 6 Table 4 Previous and New Watercourse Crossing Locations Affected by the Route Refinements...................................................................................................................... 11 Table 5 Riparian Management Areas for Stream Classes of Watercourses Crossed................... 12 Table 6 Summary of Water Quality Parameters and Channel Characteristics for Watercourses and Fish-Bearing Non-Classified Drainages Crossed............................... 14 Table 7 Summary of Fish Habitat Potential Ratings ...................................................................... 15 Table 8 Summary of Fish Sampling Results.................................................................................. 17 Table 9 Summary of Dominant Riparian Area Plant Species and Densities Along the Horn River Mainline Project .............................................................................................