Ekati - Pigeon and Sable Haul Road

May 30, 2016
Violet Camsell-Blondin - Chair
Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board
#1, 4905 – 48th Street
Yellowknife, NT
X1A 3S3
Dear Ms. Camsell-Blondin
Re: New Land Use Permit Application - Pigeon and Sable Haul Road, Ekati Mine, NT
Dominion Diamond Ekati Corporation (DDEC) is pleased to submit the attached Land Use
Permit (LUP) application for the completion of the construction, and the continued operation
and maintenance of the Pigeon and Sable Haul Road (Haul Road) for the purpose of providing
all-weather access to the Sable area. The first 6.24 km of the Haul Road have been completed
and this currently allows access to the Pigeon Pit area. The Haul Road route and related
activities were previously permitted under LUP W2008F0009 1 , LUP MV2001F0032 2 , and
corresponding Water Licences3 and is currently under construction.
This submission consists of the following documents:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Cover Letter
Land Use Permit Application Form
Application Fee ($150.00)
Certificate of Compliance
Mapping (Map 1 – Pigeon and Sable Haul Road)
Engagement Record
GIS Data
The Sable Haul Road (now being referred to as Pigeon and Sable Haul Road) was subject to
a full Environmental Assessment conducted by the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact
Review Board (MVEIRB) which was completed in February of 20014. This road routing and
related activities have been continuously permitted since 2002.
1
LUP W2008F0009
LUP MV2001F0032
Originally, there was a separate Water Licence for the Sable, Pigeon, and Beartooth developments (MV2001L2-0008).
In 2009, the terms and conditions to operate the entire mine development, including Sable, Pigeon, and Beartooth, were
incorporated into an amended licence numbered W2009L2-0001. This licence has since undergone a renewal process
and is currently numbered W2012L2-0001.
4
EA99-04 Report of Environmental Assessment 1305582420.pdf
2
3
Record #: HSE RCD ENV 416
Document Owner: Environment Department
Date: May 30, 2016
Template # EKA TEM 1852.13
The Haul Road serves as support infrastructure for both the Pigeon and Sable Projects.
Activities moving forward include the completion of the road to the Sable Pit area, construction
of caribou crossings, construction/installation of stream crossings, and the development of a
spur road to provide access to Falcon Lake. In addition, as per condition no. 28 in LUP
W2008F0009, the caribou crossing locations and design were selected based on engagement
with stakeholders, as outlined in DDEC (February 16, 2016) submission to the WLWB.
As indicated on Map 1, a field office complex/emergency safety shelter and two areas for
explosives magazine storage, all of which were originally screened under Pigeon LUPs
(MV2001X0072 and W2008D008), are now located outside of the Pigeon LUP along the Haul
Road. A communications safety tower is also required near the north end of the Pigeon and
Sable Haul Road, near the Pigeon culvert, to ensure safe operations along the Haul Road.
The field office/emergency safety shelter, communications safety tower, and explosives
magazine storage locations were selected to efficiently and strategically serve the entire Haul
Road route, for safety reasons, and to maintain compliance with other regulations.
Request for Exemption from Preliminary Screening
DDEC is seeking the Board’s ruling on the exemption of this application from the preliminary
screening provision of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act (MVRMA). This
request is made pursuant to Schedule 1 (Section 2), Part 1 paragraph 2 of the Exemption List
Regulations pursuant to subsection 143(1) of the MVRMA which states:
A development, or a part thereof, for which renewal of a permit, licence or authorization
is requested that
(a) has not been modified; and
(b) has fulfilled the requirements of the environmental assessment process established
by the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, the Canadian Environmental
Assessment Act or the Environmental Assessment Review Process Guidelines Order.
DDEC respectfully submits that this development previously permitted under MV2001F0032
and W2008F0009, has not been modified (field office complex/emergency safety shelter and
an area for explosives magazine storage currently exist and were screened under the Pigeon
LUPs MV2001X0072 and W2008D008 as related activities however the location has
changed). The purpose, activities, location, and scope of the development remain the same
as that presented in BHP Diamonds Inc. 2000 Sable Pigeon-Beartooth Environmental
Assessment Report5 which was fully reviewed and approved by the MVEIRB in 20016, thus
fulfilling the requirements of the MVRMA (Part 5). The purpose, activities, location, and scope
5
6
This report is not available on line. The Ekati Mine Site was previously owned by BHP Diamonds.
http://www.reviewboard.ca/upload/project_document/EA99-04_Report_of_Environmental_Assessment_1305582420.pdf
Record #: HSE RCD ENV 416
Document Owner: Environment Department
Date: May 30, 2016
Template # EKA TEM 1852.13
of the development also remain the same as that presented in the Sable, Pigeon and Beartooth
Kimberlite Pipes Development Description (authored by BHP Billiton and dated March 2008).7
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this request please contact the undersigned
at (867) 669-6116.
Yours Sincerely,
Claudine Lee, M.Sc., P.Geol.
Head of Environment and Communities
Claudine.lee@ekati.ddcorp.ca
CC: Marty Sanderson, GNWT
7
http://www.mvlwb.ca/Boards/WLWB/Registry/2001/MV2001L2-0008/Renewal/app/W2008D0007%20-%20BHP%20%20LUP%20Renewal%20Application%20-%20Development%20Description%20-%20Mar%2031_08.pdf. Refer to Pages
12-16.
Record #: HSE RCD ENV 416
Document Owner: Environment Department
Date: May 30, 2016
Template # EKA TEM 1852.13
Box 32, Wekweètì, NT X0E 1W0 Tel: 867‐713‐2500 Fax: 867‐713‐2502 #1‐4905 48th Street, Yellowknife, NT X1A 3S3 Tel: 867‐765‐4592 Fax: 867‐765‐4593 www.wlwb.ca Application for:
New Land Use Permit X
Amendment
to Renewal (W2008F0009) Sable Haul Road
1.
Fax number: 867-669-9293
Applicant’s name and mailing address:
Telephone number: 867-669-6116
Dominion Diamond Ekati Corporation
#1102, 4920-52nd Street
Yellowknife, NT X1A 3T1
Claudine Lee : Head of Environment & Communities
2. Head office address: Fax number: 867-669-9293
Dominion Diamond Ekati Corporation
#1102, 4920-52nd Street
Yellowknife, NT X1A 3T1
Telephone number: 867-880-2014
Field supervisor: Keith Sangris and Dave Childs
Radiotelephone: N/A
3. Other personnel (subcontractor, contractors, company staff etc.)
TOTAL:
Approximately 700-900 people at any given time at the main Ekati mine site. (Number of persons on site)
4. Eligibility:
(Refer to section 18 of the Mackenzie Valley Land Use Regulations)
a)(i)
X a)(ii)
a)(iii)
b)
5. a) Summary of operation (Describe purpose, nature and location of all activities.)
This land use permit (LUP) application is for the completion of the construction, and the continued operation and
maintenance of the Pigeon and Sable haul road for the purpose of providing all-weather access to the Sable
area for mining, exploration and related activities. This haul road route has been permitted since 2002 and
serves as support infrastructure for both the Pigeon and Sable Projects. The Pigeon to Sable haul road route
begins at coordinate 7 180 000 N, 518520 E and ends at coordinate 7 191 550 N, 522 268 E. The beginning
6.24_km of this road have already been constructed. Details of the route and design of the road were provided
in 2001 when the permit was first applied for and also in the 2008 LUP renewal application (see Sable Road
Preliminary Design - Addendum-Mar 31_08.pdf).
Activities moving forward include:
- Completion of the haul road route to Sable Pit area.
- Construction of caribou crossings (as per Condition 28 in the current LUP W2008F0009 and information
submitted by DDEC in February 2016 on caribou crossings W2008F0009-Ekati-Sable Haul Road-Caribou
Crossings-Feb16_16.pdf);
- Stream crossing construction/installation (as per condition 29 of the current LUP W2008F0009 the design of the
stream crossings has been approved by the Inspector, DFO, and the Board W2008F0009-Ekati-Sable Haul
Road-Stream Crossing Designs - Directive - Feb17_16.pdf);
- Development of a spur road to Falcon Lake (to access and set up facilities at Falcon Lake for the purposes of
road watering). The exact location of this access road is unknown at this time but will be within in the area
shown on the attached Map 1. When determined, this access road location will be provided to the WLWB.
- In the future, safety pullouts (road widening sections) along the road route may be required to ensure safe
passage of the larger trucks being used on the Haul Road. Currently, DDEC estimates three locations on each
side of the road (approximately 20 m wide by 300 m long). The general locations of these areas are indicated on
the attached Map 1. Note that these pullouts have not yet been designed, and the locations and numbers have
yet to be finalized. These details will be provided to the WLWB when available.
- Installation of a communications (repeater) tower which consists of a mobile trailer unit to be placed on a 20m
x 20m area just off the road near to the Pigeon culvert (at approximately 64° 45’ 51.91” N, 110° 38’ 57.07” W).
This will help to ensure safe operation of the haul road.
Additionally, as indicated on Map 1, a field office complex/emergency safety shelter and two areas for explosives
magazine storage are located along the beginning of the haul road route, which were previously associated with
Pigeon LUPs (MV2001X0072 and W2008D008). Theses location have been selected to more efficiently and
strategically serve the entire haul road route, for safety reasons, and to maintain compliance with regulations.
b) Please indicate if a camp is to be set up. (Please provide details on a separate page, if necessary.) No new camp.
No camp will be set up as personnel involved in the completion of the construction of the Pigeon and Sable haul
road will work out of the existing accommodations associated with Ekati mine site. Emergency shelter is
provided as part of the field office complex in the event of inclement weather that prevents transporting
employees back to the main accommodations complex.
6. Summary of potential environmental and resource impacts (Describe the effects of the proposed land-use operation on land,
water, flora & fauna and related socio-economic impacts. Use separate page if necessary.)
An environmental assessment of the potential effects of Pigeon Pit development and mining was conducted by
the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB) in 2001. This environmental assessment
included the potential effects of the development and mining of the Pigeon, Sable and Beartooth pits and all
activities including the Haul Road. A summary of potential effects and associated mitigation measures are
provided
in
Section
4.0
of
the
Environmental
Assessment
Report
(http://www.reviewboard.ca/upload/project_document/EA99-004_Report_of_Environmental_Assessment.pdf)
and the Ministers Decision and Final Measures (http://www.reviewboard.ca/upload/project_document/EA99004_Final_ministerial_acceptance_of_the_REA_with_modifications.PDF).
7. Proposed restoration plan (please use a separate page if necessary).
The current approved Interim Closure and Reclamation Plan (ICRP) for the Ekati mine is version 2.4 and can
be located on the WLWB’s website under Water Licence W2009L2-0001, Closure and Reclamation section
or at link W2009L2-0001-BHP-ICRP-Version2.4-Aug31_11.pdf. This ICRP was submitted to the Board in
August 2011 and approved in December 2011. An annual reclamation update report is provided to the
WLWB.
8. Other rights, licences or permits related to this permit application (mineral rights, timber permits, water licences, etc.)
-
-
The Sable kimberlite pipe and the Pigeon to Sable Haul Road routing is located within the existing Claim Block
held by Dominion Diamond Ekati Corporation.
An existing Class “A” Water Licence W2012L2-0001 (W2012L2-0001-Ekati-WaterLicence-Amendment to Schedule
RE Security Updates and Corrections-Oct 2014_15.pdf)
Land Use Permit W2008F0009 and Sable Pit (W2016D0003).
Pigeon Pit Land Use Permit (W2008D0008).
Is this to be a pioneered road? yes
Roads:
Has the route been laid out or ground truthed? yes
9. Proposed disposal methods.
To complete this section of the application form, a Waste Management Plan for the proposed activities is to be developed in accordance
with the Board’s Guidelines for Developing a Waste Management Plan (click here to access) and submitted as an attachment to the
application form. A template for this Plan is provided in the Guidelines. a)
Garbage: Brought to Main site
b)
Sewage (Sanitary & Grey Water): Brought to Main Site
c)
Brush & trees: N/A
d)
Overburden (Organic soils, waste material, etc.): The road bed will be constructed on top of the overburden. As
necessary, large boulders will be removed first.
Note: Approved Waste Management Plans for the Ekati mine, including the Incinerator Management
Plan, Hazardous Waste Management Plan, Landfill Management Plan, and Hydrocarbon Impacted
Materials Management Plan can be found on the WLWB website under Water Licence W2012L2-0001,
Management Plans, Waste Management Plan, at W2012L2-0001-Ekati-Waste Management Plan-Version
2.0-Oct8_15.pdf.
10. Equipment (includes drills, pumps, etc.) (Please use separate page if necessary.) Type & number
Size
Proposed use
1 X CAT993 loader 13 m3 Road Construction 1 X CAT988 loader 7 m3 Road Construction 1 X CAT980 loader 5 m3 Road Construction 1 X Cat 6018BH excavator 10 m3 Road Construction 11 X CAT 777 haul truck 100 t Road Construction 4 X CAT 740 haul truck 40 t Road Construction 2 X CAT D10 track dozer 570 HP Dump dozing 1 X CAT D8 track dozer 300 HP Road building 1 X Komatsu D61 dozer 170 HP Dam building 1 X Hamm Smooth Drum Packer 10 t Pack road and dams 1 X Crusher n/a Aggregate production 1 X CAT 16H grader 275 HP Road grading 1 X CAT 385 excavator 5 m3 General excavation 1 X CAT 349 excavator 400 HP General excavation 1 X Komatsu PC360 excavator 80 HP General excavation 2 X Atlas Copco ROC D65 drill 16.5 cm dia. Drilling 1 X Ingersoll Rand DML drill 27 cm dia. Drilling 1 X Sandvik DX800 drill 10 cm dia. Drilling 11. Fuels
()
Number of containers
Capacity of containers
Location
Diesel
Gasoline
Aviation fuel
Propane
Other
12. Containment fuel spill contingency plans.
Spills will be managed in accordance with the approved Spill Contingency Plan. The current approved version
of the Ekati’s Spill Contingency Plan V9.0 can be found on the WLWB’s registry, Water Licence W2012L20001, Management Plans, Spill Contingency Plans (W2012L2-0001-Ekati-Spill Contingency Plan - Version 9.0Oct8_15.pdf).
13. Methods of fuel transfer (to other tanks, vehicles, etc.)
During construction, a fuel truck from Ekati Mine will transfer fuel and lubricants to equipment. All fuel trucks
will follow standards re-fuelling practices, and will carry dedicated spill response equipment. Mobile equipment
will refuel at an engineered fuel dispensing station associated with a bulk diesel storage facility. Equipment
that is less mobile such as drills, large loaders, and the hydraulic shovel will be refueled from a mobile fuelling
truck. All mobile equipment carries dedicated spill response equipment and larger spill response kits are
stored at all re-fueling locations. All mobile equipment spill kits are designed to manage significant spills and
therefore are appropriate for interim management of any spills at Sable or Pigeon.
The nearest spill response trailer, which is mobile, is located outside the Emergency Response Team (ERT)
bay at the Ekati main camp. All emergency situations at the Ekati Diamond Mine involve dispatching the ERT.
14. Period of operation (includes time to cover all phases of project work applied for, including restoration)
It is planned that Sable Pit infrastructure will be developed from 2016 to 2018 and Sable Pit will mined from
2018 until 2023. Reclamation activities are planned to occur after 2023. Pigeon and Sable Road will operate
as long as the pits exists.
15. Period of permit (up to five years, with maximum of two years of extension).
Five (5) years
16. Location of activities by map co-ordinates (attach maps and sketches) - NAD83
Minimum latitude (degrees, minutes, seconds)
64° 44’ 36” N
Maximum latitude (degrees, minutes, seconds)
64° 50’ 51.7” N
Minimum longitude (degrees, minutes, seconds)
110° 31’ 50” W
Maximum longitude (degrees, minutes, seconds)
110° 40” 46.1” W
Map Sheet no.76D
17. Applicant
Print name in full
Claudine Lee
May 30 , 2016
Signature
Date
18. Fees
Type A - $150.00 **
Type B - $150.00 **
(**Application Fees are Non-Refundable**)
Land use fee:_N/A
hectares @ $50.00/hectare
Assignment fee $50.00
Total application and land use fees
$ N/A
$ 150.00
$ 150.00
LUP W2016D0003
7190000
7190000
´
7188000
7188000
D
D
Approximate Location
of Falcon Lake
Access Road
7186000
7186000
D
7184000
7182000
7182000
7184000
Falcon Lake
Field Office
Complex
Pigeon Pit
7180000
7180000
Explosives
Magazines
516000
518000
520000
522000
REFERENCE
DOMINION DIAMOND EKATI CORPORATION
Source: Imagery acquired summer 2015
Projection: UTM Zone 12, NAD 83
Created: LB
Reviewed: CL
Date: 30/05/2016
0
0.25
0.5
Kilometers
1
MAP 1 - PIGEON AND SABLE HAUL ROAD
524000
LEGEND
Possible Road Widening Location
D
Permit extent for W2008F0009
(as revised in January 2016)
Pigeon and Sable Haul Road
Route