john hart generating station replacement project february ... const rpt feb 2015.pdf · john hart...

John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project

February 2015

Community Construction Update Report #20

Prepared by: Stephen Watson, BC Hydro (O) 250-755-4795 or (C) 250-616-9888

[email protected]

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Project Update And Schedule Project Status: • Excavation and surface blasting complete on the north

portal. Underground blasting beginning at end of February;

• South portal tunnel on track to reach generating station location in first week of March;

• Preparation of laydown areas on north and south side of penstock corridor at Brewster Lake Road bridge underway. Abutments on each side being developed for the temporary construction bridge;

• Clearing off Brewster Lake Road near new intake location to be completed by March 1; and

• Laydown area off Powerhouse Road under development.

2 Victoria Times Colonist project update story on February 3, 2015.

Project Update And Schedule Project Schedule to May 2015: • Late February: Tunnel blasting has begun on north

portal tunnel; • Early March: Blasting to begin for underground

generating station (up to 18 months); • March: Construction and installation of new

construction bridge at Brewster Lake Road; • April 1: Full closure of Brewster Lake Road; and • April: Work begins on cofferdam and intake works at

the concrete John Hart spillway dam on Brewster Lake Road. The coffer dam is expected to take about six months to complete.

3 Local media coverage on February 6, 2015.

Construction Pictures – Aerial Pictures From Time Lapse Camera

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The time lapse camera was turned off on January 31. It was briefly turned on to provide the above picture on February 26. The excavated portals are now complete so this site construction area will show little change. A time lapse camera may be positioned here again during the penstock decommissioning process near the end of the project.

Construction Pictures – View Looking Downstream To The Construction Site

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Construction Pictures Around the South Portal Entrance

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Tunnel Construction Process • The south portal tunnel, known as the service

tunnel, is 6 metres in diameter and was 116 metres in length into the rock by the end of February;

• It is anticipated to take 27 blasts for the south portal to be complete. Each blast is roughly 5 metres in length;

• An absolute rule for tunneling is for workers to not be below unsupported ground at all. This means that the tunnel ‘back’ (roof) will be shotcreted each step of the way;

• Each day, a semi-automated Jumbo drill applies a pre-developed hole plan to the rock wall and drills in the required pattern. The holes are filled the emulsion and a blast is done;

• Next, the blasted rock is hauled out via scoops. Geotechnical engineers then enter the tunnel as far as the shotcrete has been applied and look ahead at the new portion of blasted tunnel that is exposed; and

• Following their direction, a robotic arm applies shotcrete forward into the new area. Once that is complete, workers are able to move forward to begin work on the next blast length. 10 South portal tunnel entrance.

Construction Pictures Around the North Portal Entrance

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Construction Equipment

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Construction Site Expands To Area Near John Hart Dam

Work continues for the installation of a new but temporary construction hauling bridge. Work to date includes: • Clearing and grubbing complete on BC Hydro property; • Steel bailey bridge to be installed over the penstocks; • Existing bridge, built in 1940s, cannot manage the weight of construction

equipment required to construct the new intake (near the concrete dam structure); • Excavation of abutments and slabs for lockblock/geogrid poured; • Temporary fencing on the north side installed; and • Bridge assembly and erection to occur on site, beginning early March.

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The work area before construction started. BC Hydro is replacing the City of Campbell River-owned Brewster Lake Road bridge as project construction mitigation.

Construction Pictures Of Work Near John Hart Dam

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Before and after pictures of the south side of penstock corridor. Shows bridge abutment construction.


19 Bridge abutment construction.


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Before and after pictures of the north side of penstock corridor.

Blasting Sounds Heard Within The Community

• Blasting is a required component of the John Hart project and we have worked to keep the community informed. There have been nearly 100 blasts to date on the site. The blast work, the rock densities and the overall tunneling process is going well. However, we have heard directly from three people downstream of the site, near Campbellton, of blast noise complaints at night. This was a surprise to the project team based on the distance from the work site, and remains unclear why the sound of a small number of the blasts has been heard by some area residents and wakes them up. It may be a combination of the acoustics of the tunnel, the weather conditions such as wind direction, and the time of night. Sound monitoring is underway in the area where we’ve heard concerns from residents. The residents were supportive of the project; it was a request to see what could be done to minimize the noise;

• The project has implemented some mitigative measures based on this community feedback. This includes additional use of blast mats where possible and saving some clean-up blast work for daytime hours;

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Blasting Sounds Heard Within The Community

• During the next few months, as blasting moves further underground and into the generating station cavern and beyond, there may be blasting noises of differing volumes. The deeper the work goes underground the potential for noise is expected to be very limited; and

• While the City of Campbell River has granted an exemption to their blasting bylaw allowing for this work to occur at all times day and night, to allow the project to proceed on time and on budget, BC Hydro and InPower BC will always consider community feedback as the project proceeds. BC Hydro and the project team apologizes for any inconvenience this noise may have caused. In circling back with the people that have contacted us, the mitigative measures along with the blasts moving further underground have made a difference with less noise. Any residents with questions or concerns are welcome to contact Stephen Watson at [email protected] or 250-755-4795.

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Traffic and Brewster Lake Road Closure

• Intermittent closures of Brewster Lake Road began in January to allow for tree clearing on BC Hydro land on the north and south sides of the portal;

• Full closure is expected to begin April 1, 2015. This closure will continue for up to 3 years;

• When closed, access to Elk Falls will be via the new parking lot at the Brewster Lake Road/Hwy. 28 turn off, at the Interpretive Centre. Access to locations such as Snowden Trails and Loveland Bay will be detoured north on Hwy. 19A and left along Gordon Road;

• Between March 10 and 28, BC Hydro will have day closures of the road across the dam to undertake annual spillway gate maintenance. It will be closed between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday; and

• Unrelated to the John Hart project or BC Hydro work, the City of Campbell River is preparing for traffic control on Highway 28 beginning in mid-March. This is related to their new watermain being installed on the section of highway between Brewster Lake Road and Surge Tower Road.

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Millennium Trail Closure For Two Weeks To Provide Trail Reinvestment For Public Safety

• BC Hydro is replacing two old wooden bridges along the Millennium Trail near the three John Hart surge towers and where the underground portals are being excavated. The trail work is unrelated to the John Hart project;

• The Erna and Jim’s (shown below) bridges will be replaced. These two bridges are in poor condition. The new footbridges will look very similar to the existing ones, but underneath there will be steel support beams as opposed to the wooden logs that were used in the original construction. They will have the same anti-slip surface for trail users.

• The trail will be closed along this section (shown by red rectangle) from March 23 to April 3; and

• The cost of the trail bridge work is around $86,000.

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Economic Opportunities

• 100 vendors on Vancouver Island have been used to supply services to the project; and

• About 90 local companies have provided supplies/services (90 km range). Sixty of those have Campbell River addresses.

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Environment • Trees near the new John Hart dam intake location

were removed before the March 1 bird nesting window to minimize potential impact on area wildlife. Approval has also been granted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada for tree removals within the 30 metre riparian buffer. Those trees will be hand-felled to prevent equipment from having to be in that protected area.

• The first annual owl survey was undertaken at end of February: Looking for Western Screech, Northern Pigmy, and Saw Whet owls. This will be monitored throughout project life for impact of construction activities.

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A Northern Pigmy owl near the generating station on January 29. At left, tree clearing near the new water intake location at the spillway dam.

Environment • Small amount of contaminated soil removed from south side of penstock

corridor where temporary bridge will cross. All material was taken off site and disposed of at an approved facility

• Water quality monitoring data collected by project team combined with the City of Campbell River’s historical data is proposed to create robust year-long data. Results cover all four seasons and provide good baseline for work moving forward.

• Planning and preparation of reports and work plans for upcoming work at the new intake. Planning involves review by BC Parks, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, City of Campbell River, Island Health, First Nations, independent monitors, BC Hydro and others.

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Media Construction Site Event – February 16 • Perhaps two times per year InPower BC and BC Hydro will provide local and regional

media the opportunity to see the construction site. The first one was in July 2014.

28 CHEK News story: http://www.cheknews.ca/construction-john-hart-dam-boosts-campbell-river-economy.

CTV-VI News story: http://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=552656.

People Profile – Ivan Suski About Ivan: Background: Background: Ivan began work in the mining industry when he was 18 years. Now 65, he’s continuing the experience he’s gained across Canada and beyond with a role on the John Hart project.

Home: After spending 14 years in Campbell River working at Myra Falls, Ivan left the area in 1996 for work opportunities. Twenty years later, Campbell River is once again his home as he returns to be a part of this project.

Hobbies: A busy outdoorsman, Ivan is an avid hunter and fisherman, as well as a member of the Campbell River Gun Club.

Project responsibility: Ivan is a supervisor for Frontier-Kemper, the company responsible for underground works on site. He’s responsible for coordinating activity such as equipment movement, worker traffic and more. “I was gone for 20 years – but it was like coming home for me,” says Ivan. “It’s the location – like this summer – it was just gorgeous. And I like the people.”

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Construction – Point of Interest Each month, BC Hydro and InPower BC will provide a construction fact, occurrence, or situation.

• In February 2015, SNC-Lavalin Hydro Vancouver rolled out increased safety protocols on all of their managed sites, including the John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project. The Safety Absolutes program rolls out 12 critical rules that required absolute compliance. Noncompliance could result in 3-5 day unpaid suspensions on first violations. Second strikes will mean termination.

• Among the twelve rules are: • Fall protection is mandatory when working above six feet; • Identify and remove from service any damaged equipment; • Required PPE must be at worn and used properly at all times when performing tasks;

and • Violent behavior, bullying and/or harassment will not be tolerated.

• These absolutes were put in place to curb the most common risks on any worksite, emphasizing SNC-Lavalin’s commitment to a safe workplace and priority in making sure everyone gets home safe each night.

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john hart generating station replacement project february ... const rpt feb 2015.pdf · john hart...

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