IN THIS EDITION:

• Working in and Around Watercourses and Wetlands
• New PHH ARC Logo
• Pinchin Environmental Mould Lab Achieves AIHA Accreditation
• Don Pinchin Featured on CBC News
• Emissions Reduction Plan
• PHH Volunteers Clean White Rock Beach

New PHH ARC Logo

Pinchin Look for our new corporate logo, which was developed in preparation for the upcoming integration of PHH Environmental and ARC Inc. Starting in January 2005, the companies will be fully integrated.

With the integration, customers can expect a wider scope of service offerings as well as better overall quality of the services due to the increase in expertise within the company.

Pinchin Environmental Mould
Lab Achieves AIHA Accreditation

Pinchin Environmental is pleased to announce that the Pinchin Environmental Microbiology Laboratory has achieved accreditation by the American Industrial Hygiene Association's Environmental Microbiology Laboratory Accreditation Program (EMLAP).

As of April 2004, the Pinchin laboratory was one of only three EMLAP accredited laboratories in Canada, and the only one in Ontario, out of a total of 45 EMLAP accredited laboratories in the world.

This accreditation, effective April 2004, helps ensure that the environmental microbiology analytical services available at Pinchin Environmental are accurate, reliable and defensible. This accreditation is particularly important for legal issues and defensibility of mould analysis due to the current increase in mould related litigation.

The AIHA EMLAP program is a world recognized program that enhances laboratory performance and demonstrates the laboratory's commitment to excellence. The AIHA has been offering laboratory accreditation in industrial hygiene testing since 1979 and began the EMLAP program for the accreditation of microbiology laboratories in 2001. The EMLAP accreditation program complies with the international standard, ISO/IEC 17025, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories. For more information visit the Pinchin Website

(L-R): Lindsay Smith, Inesa Liashko, Dr. Jackson Kung’u, Lubov Beliakov, Dr. Rafic Dulymamode

Don Pinchin Featured on CBC
News

In a two-part series entitled Deadly Dust, Dr. Don Pinchin of the Pinchin Group of Companies across Canada, spoke of the dangers of vermiculite. The story, which aired on September 28, 2004, also featured the tragic story Raven Thundersky and her family’s experience with asbestos vermiculite.

Raven Thundersky grew up with her brothers and sisters in a small, poorly-constructed house that was built in 1964 by the Department of Indian Affairs. Concerns for her family’s health arose in 1994, when her sister died of lung cancer at the age of 38. Within ten years, Raven’s mother and two other sisters were diagnosed with mesothelioma, and Raven and her father had abnormal plagues in the lining of their lungs.

Emissions Reduction Plan

To reduce the emissions output of the company, PHH Richmond has implemented an emissions reduction plan. CO2 is the primary contributor to worldwide climate change. It most commonly comes from our vehicles, so reducing the number of trips to and from work is an important part of our emissions reduction plan. The goal is to reduce emissions for travel to work by 10% by the 2004 year end, through means of carpooling, bike riding, walking or taking transit.

Another phase of the program is to lower our energy consumption, which entails turning off all the computers and lights at night. Other energy efficient alternatives around the office are being considered.

For more information about our reduction plan, contact Kevin Lew 604-244-8101 ext. 257

For more information about trip reduction programs, visit the go green website: http://www.gogreen.com/

PHH Volunteers Clean White
Rock Beach

On September 18th, 30 volunteers from PHH and a community church group, bared three hours of cold, rainy weather to clean an 800 metre stretch of White Rock Beach, as part of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (GCSC). The GCSC is a nation-wide initiative of the Vancouver Aquarium directed at cleaning shorelines all over Canada. Our group collected nearly 60 pounds of garbage, and made a noticeable difference in making White Rock Beach a cleaner and more beautiful place.

This year, the GCSC had a record-breaking 30,000 volunteers across Canada that helped clean up more than 670 sites.

For more information about the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, visit their website

Feature Article

Working in and Around Watercourses and Wetlands
By: Karen Halwas, Project Manager

Rivers, lakes, and wetlands support a huge diversity of aquatic organisms and influence a large number of catchment processes such as runoff, groundwater recharge and organic carbon storage. Riparian areas help to maintain water quality and provide habitat and movement corridors for wildlife.

West Castle River

Oil and Gas Developments and Aquatic Resources Industrial users, including the oil and gas industry, leave a large footprint on the land base. For example, approximately 23,734 km of new transmission pipelines were constructed in North America between 1997 and 1999 (Reid and Anderson 1999) and estimates show that an additional 85,000 km are planned between 2001 and 2010. Watercourse crossings represent a major potential impact associated with pipeline projects. Construction activities increase sediment loads resulting in behavioural and physiological responses in aquatic biota, downstream sediment deposition and altered habitat. Physical characteristics at the crossing site may be altered through the excavation and backfilling of the pipeline trench.

Trenched crossing of the Bow River, Canmore, Alberta. Construction of a crossing may result in changes to the physical, biological, and chemical components of the aquatic system and its associated riparian area.

Protection of Aquatic Resources
The federal Fisheries Act is the primary legislation mandating the conservation and management of fisheries and fish habitat. The Fisheries Act states that “no person shall carry on any work or undertaking that results in the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat”. “The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Policy for the Management of Fish Habitat” supports the Fisheries Act, clarifies implications for fish habitat management and provides a framework for the achievement of conservation, restoration and enhancement goals under a central guiding principle of “no net loss of productive capacity of fish habitat” (DFO 1986).

Federal and provincial legislation aim to protect aquatic resources like bull trout, a ‘Sensitive’ species native to Alberta.

Typically, provincial governments also administer regulations designed to protect water resources, aquatic habitats and valued species. For example, under the Alberta Water Act, the Code of Practice for Pipelines and Telecommunication Lines Crossing a Water Body and the Code of Practice for Watercourse Crossings are the regulatory mechanisms that establish the objectives, standards and conditions to be met when crossing a water body. Under the same Act, separate provisions regulate activities impacting or capable of impacting water bodies that are excluded from the Codes of Practice, such as headwater areas, lakes and wetlands. In British Columbia, the Oil and Gas Commission reviews ‘Applications for Changes In and About a Stream’ under the authority of the British Columbia Water Act, the Water Act Regulation and the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act.

How Can Qualified Aquatic Environment Specialists Assist Oil and Gas Companies?
The Alberta Water Act Codes of Practice define the educational and experience level required to perform pre-development aquatic assessments. A Qualified Aquatic Environment Specialists (QAES) must have sound knowledge of the ecological, regulatory, and engineering issues associated with oilfield construction projects. They have the expertise to ensure that developments comply with federal and provincial regulations. They can also determine if a net loss in the productive capacity of fish habitat is likely to occur and, if so, can design appropriate restoration plans. Crossing design is most effective if performed in conjunction with engineers and construction specialists.

Based on an understanding of the habitat at a crossing location, and regulatory and industry requirements, a Qualified Aquatic Environmental Specialist can provide a range of options. For example, it is often assumed that directionally drilled crossings are less damaging than trenched techniques. However, if a loss of drilling fluids is likely, as a result of geotechnical conditions, a properly planned and rapidly completed trenched crossing may be preferred.

Consulting a QAES is also important for contingency and emergency response planning. A fully developed contingency plan, based on an understanding of environmental conditions at the crossing, may prevent construction delays if the preferred crossing method fails.

Current Issues and Future Considerations
Expectations for proactive planning and ‘learning from experience’ will continue as regulatory requirements increase and authorities become less tolerant of unauthorized activities. Proponents are will continue to be required to minimize or prevent harmful impacts to aquatic resources. For example, the use of common corridors will lead to greater project integration within organizations (i.e. between drilling and pipelining divisions) and also between user groups (i.e. Forest Management Agreement (FMA) holders, other oil and gas companies and recreational enthusiasts).

With the oil and gas industry developing Canada’s north, protecting watercourses and wetlands in this frontier area has become a prominent issue, particularly since the ecological importance of northern peat lands is now better understood and appreciated. At the same time, considerable activity affects watercourses and wetlands in traditional operating areas. Replacement of existing pipeline crossings is an ongoing responsibility, as scour, channel realignment and corrosion take their toll. Additionally, maintenance and replacement of ageing and / or undersized oilfield bridges and culverts continues.

The oil and gas sector is a major land user who, more and more, must work to satisfy a variety of interests, stakeholders and regulators. Consequently, proactive and comprehensive planning will be required. Industry, now more than ever, has the tools and experience to operate responsibly in and around watercourses and wetlands, while still protecting aquatic resources for future generations.

If you are planning to work in and around watercourses and/or wetlands, ARC inc. has the expertise to help guide you through the regulatory process. Our Aquatics Unit, comprised of Qualified Aquatic Environment Specialists and Regulatory Specialists focuses on oil and gas construction projects, and helps to ensure that organizations are compliant with all applicable regulations. To contact the Aquatics Unit at ARC Inc., please call 403-543-1948.

References
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans. 1986. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Policy for the Management of Fish Habitat, Ottawa, Ont.

Reid, S.M. and P.G. Anderson. 1999. Effects of sediment released during open-cut pipeline water crossings. Canadian Water Resources Journal, 24: 23-39.

Submitted by James Power and Karen Halwas, ARC Inc., 7535 Flint Road SE, Calgary, Alberta. T2H 1G3.

Photography is credited to B. Goetz and B. Redmond.