Environmental Services
Today’s regulatory environment can be complicated and difficult to navigate, but is a key factor in the success of a project. Our biological sciences team can help with Environmental Assessments, permitting for projects in and around water, environmental management plans, fish and wildlife salvage and construction monitoring. Our environmental team also provides services in the contaminated sites sector, including Phase 1 or 2 Environmental Site Assessments (ESA) for property transactions, detailed site investigations, movement of contaminated soil and site remediation.
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Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments (ESA)
Are generally conducted for a commercial property during a real estate transaction. A phase I ESA is a nonintrusive historical study on a property to determine the potential presence of contamination from historical activities on or off-site.
Phase 2 ESAs
To follow up on areas of potential concern identified. These typically require soil and/or groundwater testing. Drilling or testpit programs can be conducted to confirm the presence of any onsite contamination or assess the potential for contamination to have migrated from surrounding properties. Soil and groundwater samples are compared to the provincial or federal standards appropriate for the site.
Underground Storage Tank (UST) removals / Confirmatory Sampling / Spill Response.
Coordination with local contractors and disposal facilities can be quickly achieved to remediate all forms of chemical spills. Field testing is utilized to determine the extent of contamination during remediation and confirmatory samples can be analyzed on a rush basis to avoid the possibility of remobilization of equipment.
Our Registered Professional Biologist (R.P.Bio) completes Environmental Assessments (EAs), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), Riparian Area Protection Regulation (RAPR) Assessments, and Environmental Management Plans (EMPs). Preliminary EAs provide a preview of the site’s biophysical characteristics including the presence of environmentally sensitive ecosystems and species. EIA’s are required under the Environmental Assessment Act and include a description of the proposed development, potential impacts and mitigation strategies. RAPR assessments and EMPs are completed to meet permit requirements.
Environmental permits are required by municipal, provincial, and federal governments for development occurring within environmentally sensitive areas. We obtain municipal development permits for clients by helping them plan projects that comply with Official Community Plan (OCP) bylaws. For projects taking place in or near water we complete the following permit applications: Water Sustainability Act Section 11 Approval/Notification; Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Project Review or Authorization; fish collection permits (provincial and federal); Wildlife Act permits, Species at Risk Act (SARA) permits, Water Licences, Navigation Protection Program (NPP), and Crown Land Tenure applications and/or amendments.
Environmental monitoring is a requirement of many environmental permits and regulations. We provide a qualified environmental professional (QEP) to help your project stay within compliance so it can proceed without delay. Our QEPs review regulatory permitting requirements with clients and contractors, provide on-site solutions to sediment and erosion control issues, and submit monitoring reports to regulatory agencies, as required. Site-specific environmental monitor-ing could include turbidity monitoring during instream work, nesting bird surveys, pH monitoring during concrete pouring, or plant survivorship monitoring.
- Fish Salvage and Enumeration
- Fisheries Assessment
- Mussel Surveys and Salvage
- Aquatic Ecology
- Wildlife Surveys
- QEP Checklists for Dock Construction
- Riparian Planting Plans
- Benthic Invertebrate Monitoring
- Surface Water Quality Assessment
- ISC Simple Environmental Reviews
- Bio-statistical Assessment
- Source Water Protection Planning