DFO concerns stall project
Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Pelly Bay (Mar 19/01) - A bridge project threatened by fish habitat concerns is back on track thanks to a new design that should allow the project to go ahead on schedule.
That's good news for hamlet and government officials because had the community been unable to finish the project by the time the first sealift arrived this summer, $400,000 promised for the project would have been lost.
The Department of National Defence agreed to kick in the money last year because the road and bridge will make the clean-up of the nearby DEW-line site easier.
That clean-up is scheduled to begin as soon as the yet-to-be-hired contractor is able to transport the materials they need during this year's shipping season.
Fish habitat
Although the project has been bogged down by bureaucratic red tape from the project from the beginning, concern over how the bridge was to be built raised new concerns.
To save on costs for the temporary structure, they planned to in-fill part of the river with gravel, install culverts and then place the bridge on top of the entire structure.
Jordan DeGroot, a habitat biologist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), said they were concerned because the proposed structure would likely affect fish habitat.
"The potential impacts associated with that project would have been loss of fish habitat due to in-filling, sedimentation, alteration of flow and potential obstruction of fish passage," said DeGroot, adding that he made the Nunavut Impact Review Board aware of his concerns.
NIRB, mandated under the land claims agreement to review all projects with potential environmental impacts, could then not issue the necessary project permit the municipality needed until DFO's concerns were addressed.
A conference call between hamlet and government officials and project engineers resulted in the decision to build a clear-span bridge.
"We still have concerns regarding the project, how the clear-span bridge is going to be constructed, but essentially, Fisheries Act authorization is not required because fish habitat is likely not going to be destroyed," said DeGroot.
He also said he planned to monitor the project to ensure the changes are carried out.
With DFO reassured, and the NIRB permit pending, the concerns of DND have also been somewhat abated.
Pete Quinn, the project manager of the DEW-line clean-up for Defense Construction Canada, said as long as the road and bridge were completed in time, DND still planned to provide the funding.
"If the road is built in time for the contractor to mobilize, DND's intention is still to pay the $400,000," said Quinn.
A community meeting will be held in Kugaaruk tonight to discuss the project.
