WFP considers expanding channel in Cowichan Estuary
Western Forest Products is set to study the impact of dredging in the Cowichan Estuary neighbouring the Cowichan Bay mill site.
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Updated: August 19, 2009 4:50 PM
Western Forest Products aims to study whether expansion of log-channel access to its Cowichan Bay mill would affect the bay’s marine ecology, a provincial spokesman says.
Those plans follow WFP’s recent gravel hauling from its log channel in an area already disturbed, explained the ministry’s Peter Law of the Cowichan Bay Estuary Environmental Management Committee.
Last month’s removal of some 2,000 cubic metres of gravel had little or no eco-impact on the bay, Law indicated, and WFP must ensure that’s also the case in its targeted expansion.
“These are areas that were disturbed before,” he said of where gravel was pulled then piled on WFP’s land site.
“If not, there’d have to be a much more significant review.
“They did ask to do work on an area that hadn’t been worked on before and we asked them to submit to an environmental review under the (federal) Canada Environmental Assessment Act.”
WFP officials were unavailable for comment about plans for their bay operation.
Law said the review could happen during the coming months but no work could be done — pending federal approvals — until 2010.
He said the targeted area is farther out in the estuary and the province is working with the mill to find another way to access its logs with minimal damage to fish habitat.
“We don’t want to lose the mill down there.
“Are there other ways to get logs into the mill that will ensure the operation?”
The bay’s regional director Lori Iannidinardo hopes so.
“I believe in having a working bay but the environment comes first.”
That’s why provincial environment and federal Fisheries agents were on site with WFP’s consultants July 22 watching the gravel dredging.
“There’s always concerns about fish habitat. The maintenance of the channel is done with a number of strict conditions,” Law said.
Those conditions include dredging in summer months when the estuary’s at low ebb.
“Salmon smolts and fry are mostly gone from the estuary then, and it’s before the chinook show up,” he said.
WFP crews also dig at the low tide and use silt curtains around the work site to ensure sediment doesn’t plume into the estuary.
Those plumes and other possible impacts on the bay worry resident George Croy who believes dredging rules are too lax.
“All WFP has to do is provide notification of dredging to authorities and about exactly where they’ll dig.
“That’s putting the fox in to guard the hen house.”
But Law said WFP’s environmental consultants provide proper oversight during dredging.
Iannidinardo understands Croy’s concerns and wants a balance between jobs, public input and the bay’s health.
“I think we have to do things differently and the community should be able to participate in these discussions.
“The estuary’s environmental management committee says it’s had consultation with the community but we find that doesn’t happen enough.”
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