Overview
In July 2023, amendment PER No. 16-271-01 was issued to Summit Earthworks Inc. (the Permit Holder) extending the validity of the original permit and approving a minor modification to the scope of the approved project located at 430 Salter Street, New Westminster, B.C., on federal lands and waters managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
About the amendment:
The Permit Holder requested to extend the validity of the permit which was set to expire on April 30, 2023. In addition, the permit holder sought authorization to install a water main to service the site.
In April 2021, a project permit was issued to Summit Earthworks Inc. to develop the Derwent Way Soil Transfer and Barge Loading Facility at the parcel southeast of the intersection at Derwent Way and Salter Street in New Westminster, BC on federal lands and waters managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
The project was approved subject to 74 permit conditions the permit holder must meet to ensure the project does not result in significant adverse environmental effects. Please see the Impact Assessment Act Registry for the Notice of Intent and Notice of Decision.
Construction notification was issued on July 27, 2021. For more information about the project and construction activities, please visit Summit Earthworks’ website.
About the project
Summit Earthworks proposes to develop a soil and barge transfer facility. The proposed project is to facilitate the transfer of waste soil from development sites in Metro Vancouver to a remediation facility in Mission, BC. Soil will arrive at the project site via truck; it will then be temporarily stored in a contained waste offload/storage area (with a total capacity of approximately 3,000 cubic metres), before being transferred to a barge for transit along the Fraser River. In some instances, soil may also be transferred off-site via truck. The facility will not accept hazardous soils, and all soils that move through the facility will have contamination levels less than the BC Hazardous Waste Regulations criteria.
It is anticipated that one barge per week will be loaded with approximately 1,500 to 2,500 cubic metres of soil. The material will be loaded to the barge via a hopper and a covered conveyor. The conveyor will deposit the soil onto the barge using a telescopic spout and a loader will displace the soil evenly across the barge deck. The total estimated volume of soil through the site per month is 6,000 cubic metres.
Vehicles would be required to access the facility via Slater Street from northbound Derwent Way. Operation of the facility will include up to 60 trucks arriving and departing intermittently each day. Trucks would be required to route via Annacis Industrial area, and only use designated truck routes.
Project activities and components include:
- Site clearing, stripping and grubbing
- Ground densification, as necessary
- Excavation below the covered soil storage area to a depth of approximately 1.5m
- Construction of a lock block perimeter wall around the covered soil storage area measuring 2.25m above grade and 1.5m below grade
- Construction of a 1,200 square metres lined and covered waste soil storage area designed to prevent infiltration into the underlying subgrade
- Construction of a 0.3m high containment curb to the south and east of the truck unloading area and around the hopper to contain excess runoff
- Construction of an ~2.5m noise barrier fence, tree barrier, and soil berm along the western boundary of the site
- Grading and paving, including construction of an asphalt road and a compacted gravel area
- Installation of a weigh scale measuring 18m x 3m and a single-storey scale shack and scale house, each measuring 6m x 2.5m
- Installation of a 2,500L fuel above-ground storage tank (AST) and concrete pad
- Installation of a wheel wash station
- Installation of a runoff water treatment facility and pump station measuring 8m x 3m and two (2) 19,000L water storage tanks
- Installation of six (6) LED flood lights
- Construction of four (4) vehicle parking spaces
- Installation of a culvert
- Installation of two (2) underground infiltration system trenches measuring 40m x 3m
- Installation of storm drains and catch basins
- Installation of a concrete pad mounted hopper
- Installation of an ~50m long covered barge loading conveyor and telescopic loading spout
- Installation of sixteen (16) piles (four (4) dolphins and one (1) conveyor truss and support)
Permit details
Applicant
Application Number
- 16-271
- 16-271-01
Resources
Approval documents
Amendment
Project Permit
Project and Environmental Review Report
General submission
Application form
Project description
Project summary
Marine operations technical memo
Drawings
Drawing package
Marine loading drawing
Culvert twining drawing
Location plan
Studies and reports
Site access route plan
Traffic management plan
Derwent Way/Salter Street northbound right-turn assessment traffic memo
Changes to air and noise assessments memo
Air assessment comments response memo
Geotechnical comments response memo
Traffic Impact StudyDecember 2019 - Project Permit Application Traffic Impact Study: Summit Earthworks Derwent Way Soil Transfer and Barge Facility [PDF]
Derwent Way/Salter Street southbound left-turn assessment traffic memo
Soil sampling memo
Archaeological Overview Assessment
August 2019 - Project Permit Application Archaeological Overview Assessment: Summit Earthworks Derwent Way Soil Transfer and Barge Facility (received and under review)
Air assessment report
Biophysical assessment and vegetation plan
Construction Environmental Management Plan
Contingency and spill response plan
Geotechnical report
Stormwater pollution prevention plan
Noise assessment screening worksheet
Public engagement
Public engagement summary and considerations report for the 2020 public comment period
October 2020 - Public Engagement Summary and Consideration Report: Summit Earthworks Derwent Way Soil Transfer and Barge Facility [PDF] (Summary and report for May 29 - July 6, 2020 public comment period. Posted October 2020.)
Public engagement summary and considerations report for the 2017 public comment periodMay 2019 - Public Engagement Summary and Consideration Report: Summit Earthworks Derwent Way Soil Transfer and Barge Facility [PDF] (Summary and report for May 12 - June 2, 2017 public comment period. Posted August 2019.)
Additional documents
Construction notification
Best management practices for pile driving
Structural concrete pouring procedures
Concrete handling
Contact information
For more information about Summit Earthworks’ project, or to contact the permit holder directly, please visit their website or contact Steve Rosell, General Manager, by email or phone at 604.820.0569.
For questions regarding the Project and Environmental Review of the proposed project, or to get in touch with our team, please contact us by email or phone at 604.665.9047.
Please note, when receiving public feedback as part of the PER process, the port authority may collect your personal information, i.e., your name, contact information and personal views and opinions, to inform the PER process for a proposed project. Your personal information may be disclosed to third parties, such as our tenants, in order for them to respond directly to you or help inform our response. You are entitled to submit a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner office.