Environmental Assessment Registration of a Class I Undertaking, Pursuant to Part IV of the Environment Act, N.S. Reg 52/2005 Final February 2020 Project Spicer North Mountain Quarry Expansion Proponent B. Spicer Construction Ltd. Environmental Assessment Prepared by: East Coast Aquatics Inc. 3 Middle St. P.O. Box 129 Bridgetown, NS B0S 1C0 902 665 4682 [email protected] This page left intentionally blank. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ______________________________________________________ 1 1. General Information ___________________________________________________ 3 2. Project Information ____________________________________________________ 4 2.1 Proponent Profile __________________________________________________ 4 2.2 Location _________________________________________________________ 5 2.3 Existing and Planned Project Components _______________________________ 7 2.3.1 Drilling and Blasting ____________________________________________ 12 2.3.2 Hazardous Materials Management ________________________________ 13 2.3.3 Transportation and Production ___________________________________ 14 2.3.4 Air Quality Management ________________________________________ 16 2.3.5 Noise Management ____________________________________________ 16 2.3.6 Sediment Control and Management _______________________________ 17 2.4 Decommissioning and Reclamation ___________________________________ 20 2.5 EA Schedule ______________________________________________________ 21 3. Environmental Assessment Scope _______________________________________ 22 3.1 Spatial and Temporal Boundaries of EA ________________________________ 22 3.2 Assessment Scope _________________________________________________ 22 3.3 Purpose and Need for the Undertaking ________________________________ 24 3.4 Consideration of Alternatives ________________________________________ 24 4. Environmental Assessment Methodologies ________________________________ 26 4.1 Rare and Sensitive Species at Risk ____________________________________ 26 4.2 Flora ___________________________________________________________ 27 4.3 Terrestrial Fauna __________________________________________________ 28 4.4 Avian Fauna ______________________________________________________ 28 4.5 Surface Water Resources ___________________________________________ 29 4.6 Fish and Fish Habitat _______________________________________________ 31 4.7 Wetlands ________________________________________________________ 31 4.8 Groundwater Resources ____________________________________________ 34 4.9 Archaeological and Heritage Resources ________________________________ 35 5. Biophysical Environment _______________________________________________ 36 5.1 Spatial Setting for Project ___________________________________________ 36 5.2 Atmospheric Environment __________________________________________ 38 i 5.2.1 Weather, Climate and Air Quality _________________________________ 38 5.2.2 Climate Change _______________________________________________ 40 5.3 Geophysical Environment ___________________________________________ 44 5.3.1 Surficial and Bedrock Geology ____________________________________ 44 5.3.2 Acid Rock Drainage_____________________________________________ 47 5.3.3 Groundwater _________________________________________________ 48 5.4 Terrestrial Environment ____________________________________________ 57 5.4.1 Vegetation Communities and Habitats _____________________________ 57 5.4.2 Avian Community ______________________________________________ 61 5.4.3 Terrestrial Wildlife/Mammals ____________________________________ 66 5.4.4 Herpetofauna _________________________________________________ 67 5.5 Aquatic Environment ______________________________________________ 68 5.5.1 Surface Water Resources and Quality ______________________________ 68 5.5.2 Wetlands ____________________________________________________ 74 5.5.3 Fish and Fish Habitat ___________________________________________ 86 5.6 Species at Risk and Species of Conservation Interest ______________________ 92 5.6.1 Avian SAR/SOCI _______________________________________________ 96 5.6.2 Herpetofauna SAR/SOCI ________________________________________ 102 5.6.3 Invertebrate SAR/SOCI _________________________________________ 103 5.6.4 Lichen SAR/SOCI ______________________________________________ 104 5.6.5 Mammal SAR/SOCI ____________________________________________ 106 5.6.6 Vascular Plant SAR/SOCI _______________________________________ 107 5.6.7 Aquatic SAR/SOCI _____________________________________________ 109 6. Socio-Economic Environment __________________________________________ 110 6.1 Mi’kmaq _______________________________________________________ 110 6.2 Population and demographics ______________________________________ 110 6.3 Spicer Quarry Direct and Indirect Employment _________________________ 111 6.4 Infrastructure ___________________________________________________ 112 6.5 B. Spicer Construction and the Community ____________________________ 113 6.6 Transportation ___________________________________________________ 113 6.7 Recreation and Tourism ___________________________________________ 114 7. Archeology and Historic Resources ______________________________________ 115 8. Public Engagement Summary __________________________________________ 116 8.1 Public Consultation _______________________________________________ 116 8.2 First Nations Engagement __________________________________________ 120 9. Environmental Effects Assessment ______________________________________ 120 ii 9.1 Potential Environmental Effects and Mitigation Measures ________________ 120 9.1.1 Atmospheric Environment ______________________________________ 121 9.1.2 Geophysical Environment ______________________________________ 123 9.1.3 Terrestrial Environment ________________________________________ 125 9.1.4 Aquatic Environment __________________________________________ 128 9.1.5 Species At Risk and Species of Conservation Interest._________________ 131 9.1.6 Socio-Economic Environment ___________________________________ 133 9.1.7 Archaeological and Historic Resources ____________________________ 135 9.2 Residual Environmental Effects ______________________________________ 136 9.3 Monitoring _____________________________________________________ 140 10. Funding __________________________________________________________ 141 11. Other Approvals Required ____________________________________________ 141 12. Other Undertakings in the Area _______________________________________ 141 13. References ________________________________________________________ 143 APPENDICES _________________________________________________________ 149 Appendix 1: NSE Industrial Approval ______________________________________ 150 Appendix 2: ACCDC Data Report 6339 _____________________________________ 166 Appendix 3: Avian Surveys Report ________________________________________ 190 Appendix 4: Inventories of Plant Species ___________________________________ 215 Appendix 5: Electrofishing Field Data Sheets ________________________________ 226 Appendix 6: WESP Scores _______________________________________________ 230 Appendix 7: Archaeological Resource Impact Assessment _____________________ 234 Appendix 8: 2019 Surface Water Chemistry Analysis Results____________________ 283 Appendix 9: Public Engagement Materials __________________________________ 286 Appendix 10: EA Team Member CV’s ______________________________________ 297 Appendix 11: 2018 Groundwater Monitoring Report _________________________ 310 Appendix 12: Photo Record _____________________________________________ 331 Appendix 13: 2008 Ray Brook Stream Habitat Survey Results ___________________ 335 iii Executive Summary B. Spicer Construction Ltd. (the Proponent) wishes to expand its aggregate quarry operations at Youngs Cove, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia that have existed for 11 years. The proponent proposes to maintain current production levels for a period of up to 30 years, or 2050. The current approved footprint is projected to last for two to four additional years. However, the current footprint can not be expanded without causing significant adverse effects to adjacent wetlands and watercourses within the proponent properties. Therefore, the proponent has proposed a future quarry footprint to be located on their properties, approximately 200m north of the existing site, where no significant adverse effects to wetlands and watercourses will occur. To continue uninterrupted production yet achieve the shift in quarry footprint location the proponent anticipates the operation will expand beyond four hectares. In proposing an aggregate quarry expansion in excess of four hectares, the Proponent is required to register this project as a Class I Undertaking pursuant to Part IV of the Environment Act, N.S. Reg. 52/2005, and the Environmental Assessment Regulations, N.S. Reg. 26/95 before commencing work on the project. As the requirement for an Environmental Assessment is triggered by the proposed quarry activity, the proponent has also chosen to also include the proposed expansion of the stockpile/crusher area to better separate on highway transport vehicles that are loading and scaling aggregate for transport from the crushing/stockpile activities where off highway vehicles operate as a means of improving site operational safety and function. The project is situated on the south facing slope of the Annapolis Valley’s North Mountain. The existing and proposed quarry sites exist at the crest of the mountain where the North Mountain Formation containing