BIRCH PLAIN, NS — A Cabot Trail store owner is concerned about an equipment storage site that has been proposed for the land in front of his store.

Brent Partland, owner and operator of Wreck Cove General Store in Birch Plains, off the Cabot Trail in Victoria County, is concerned about a dredging equipment site that has been proposed for development by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) on the ground across the road from his store.

“I found out because they sent me a letter because I’m an adjacent landowner,” Partland said.

Proposed disposal site

According to DFO, dredging involves removing accumulated sediment from the bed of a body of water using grabs, draglines, backhoes or suction dredges. The letter sent to Partland by the environmental services group of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) – on behalf of DFO’s Small Craft Harbors Program – indicates that, like many harbours, dredging is required every eight to ten years in Little River to support the fishing industry. and provide port access.

The dredging helps “ensure the safe seaworthiness and mooring of vessels” at DFO’s small craft harbor facilities, according to the letter, which Partland shared with the Cape Breton Post.

“I know this needs to be done, I just don’t want the f—–g material – pardon my language – put in front of my business and my house – and next to it, because I own the land next to that too,” Partland said. “I bought a nice piece of land by the sea, and now my neighbor is going to be a dump, a sand dump.

The riverfront land that has been proposed for the dredged material management site would be “used for the long-term storage of sediments derived from maintenance dredging activities at Little River Small Craft Harbor (Victoria County), says Scott Burley, PSPC’s specialist environmental manager, in the letter to Partland.

“Options for reusing this dredged material will be explored so that some of the material can be temporarily stored on site, however, it is expected that the majority of the material will be managed on site long term.”

A follow-up letter to Partland says that while disposal of the material has historically been done on private property, it is “no longer permitted by applicable law.” Disposal at sea is regulated by Environment and Climate Change Canada and requires stricter permits “due to potential impacts on marine habitat and environment”.

PSPC considered trucking the dredged material to a provincial waste management facility. However, the nearest facility is at Baddeck, a site about 60km away that does not accept dredged material, according to the tracking letter.

“While other properties were considered when selecting the proposed dredged material management site, the Birch Plain site was selected for its proximity to the port, availability for purchase, location along of the coast and its topography downstream of residential properties,” Burley said in the follow-up letter.

Proposed Little River Dredged Materials Management Site:

• PIN #85140846
• Scheduled for operation in spring 2023
• Public comment period until March 31, 2022
• Comments can be sent to Scott Burley of Public Services and Procurement Canada: [email protected]

A public meeting organized by DFO to discuss the proposed site has been scheduled:

• At: Tuesday, March 15, 2022 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• AT: the North Shore and District Fire Department at 46177 Cabot Trail, Indian Brook, NS.

Odor and contamination issues

Partland, who also owns seven acres south of her store, is concerned about groundwater pollution from salt and any possible contaminants in the sand.

“It concerns me,” he said. “…I want them to make sure nothing can happen. I don’t even want the site to be there, but if they do anyway, I need some guarantees.

Partland is also concerned about odors from materials stored on site.

“The smell could have an impact,” Partland said. “…You have decaying organisms and vegetation that are usually found in sand, and there’s definitely a smell when this stuff comes out of the water.”

The Cape Breton Post contacted DFO on Friday for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication. However, Burley notes in the initial letter to Partland that the sediments of Little River are mostly composed of sand, with smaller amounts of silt and clay.

“Samples taken from the port over a number of years indicate that the material meets applicable federal and provincial guidelines when analyzed for various parameters such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pentaclorophenol (PHP) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT).

“Petroleum hydrocarbon analytical results indicated that a lubricating oil fraction has been identified in some samples collected from the Little River PPB over the past 10 years. Concentrations of a number of metals (including boron, molybdenum, iron, copper, zinc, arsenic, aluminum and cadmium) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were also detected in some samples.

The DFO letter says many of these metals may occur naturally in the environment, but the port itself and associated operations “may be responsible for some of the exceedances detected.”

The project, PID #85140846, is currently undergoing an environmental and site assessment and DFO’s letter states that “appropriate measures will be developed to ensure off-site impacts are mitigated.”

The letter notes that the “Little River Dredge Material Management Site” is expected to be operational in the spring of 2023.

Communication delays and tree issues

The initial letter Partland received was dated January 25, 2022, but Partland did not receive it by mail until February 7. This meant that the first half of Partland’s 30-day public comment period was limited, as he did not become aware of the site until the letter was received.

Partland returned a letter to PSPC expressing its concerns and, in its follow-up letter, DFO extended the public comment period to March 31, 2022. Written comments on the proposed site may be submitted to Scott Burley of PSPC, which can be attached to [email protected].

In addition, a public meeting planned by DFO has been organized for community members who have questions about the proposed site for the dredged material. It will be held at the North Shore and District Fire Department at 46177 Cabot Trail in Indian Brook, NS. Tuesday, March 15, 2022 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Partland said he’s concerned the site may already be cleared to move forward despite it currently undergoing public review and comment. He said drilling equipment had already been installed at the site and a number of trees had been felled for the work.

“(PSPC) claims that this is only part of the assessment period, the environmental assessment period,” Burley said.

“…It just seems like they’ve already made up their minds and are going to do it anyway, and they’re honoring us with a reunion regardless just because I raised such a stench with them.”

The initial letter Partland received from Burley states that a “wooded buffer zone” will be maintained around the proposed dredge material containment area “to minimize views from adjacent properties.” Partland, however, said the line of trees along the road had already been removed for the assessment work.

“I’m not against dredging at all,” Partland said. “I understand this absolutely has to happen, but my life and business shouldn’t pay for this.”

Jessica Smith is a breaking news, human interest, environment and climate change reporter at the Cape Breton Post. Follow her on Twitter at @CBPost_Jessica.