Deltaport Third Berth Sediment Sampling Program

Transcription

1 Deltaport Third Berth Sediment Sampling Program Delta, BC Prepared for: VANCOUVER PORT AUTHORITY Granville Street Vancouver, BC V6C 2P9 Prepared by: HEMMERA ENVIROCHEM INC Hornby Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K5 November 16, 2004 File:

2 Delta, BC - i - November 2004 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) retained (Hemmera) to complete a sediment sampling program at its Roberts Bank Port facility in Delta, British Columbia, approximately 35 km south of Vancouver. The objective of this study was to characterize the physical and chemical properties of sediments at Roberts Bank for the purposes of obtaining a permit for Disposal at Sea Permit for Dredged Material from Environment Canada, as per the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). The scope of work for this sediment sampling program included: Fieldwork to collect the proposed sediment samples; Laboratory analysis for total metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), total organic carbon (TOC), sulphur, sulphides, and grain size; and Preparation of a data report documenting methods, results and conclusions of the sediment sampling program (six hard copies and one digital version). A total of 45 sediment samples, including 25 core samples and 20 surface grab samples, were collected. The core samples were collected from the 10 boreholes included in AMEC s geotechnical drilling program for the Deltaport Third Berth Project at various depths ranging from 3m to 40 m. The grab samples were collected under the supervision of Mr. Sean Standing from Environment Canada. Sediment grain size varied from sandy silt to sand with traces of silt. The highest TOC concentration measured in sediment at Robert s Bank was 1.55%. However, most core sediment samples contained <0.5% TOC, which is considered to be low. Total sulphide concentrations ranged from 8.6 to 1,160 µg/g and total sulphur from 0.03 to 0.48 %. The highest total sulphide and total sulphur concentrations were observed in the surface grab samples. All 25 core sediment samples and 20 surface grab sediment samples collected met the Disposal at Sea Criteria for metals and PAHs as per CEPA. Environment Canada s Permit Application (Disposal at Sea) form has been appended to this report.

3 Delta, BC - ii - November 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... i TABLE OF CONTENTS...II 1.0 INTRODUCTION PROJECT BACKGROUND STUDY OBJECTIVES SCOPE OF WORK SEDIMENT ASSESSMENT STUDY AREA PROJECT SEDIMENT WORKS (DREDGING AND FILL) SEDIMENT SAMPLING LOCATIONS METHODOLOGY CORE SAMPLING GRAB SAMPLING FIELD QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL (QA/QC) LABORATORY PROGRAM LABORATORY QA/QC RESULTS QA/QC Field Duplicates Cross-Contamination Swipes Laboratory Replicates CORE SAMPLES GRAB SAMPLES CONCLUSIONS STATEMENT OF LIMITATIONS REFERENCES...15

4 Delta, BC - iii - November 2004 List of Figures Figure 1 Site Location Figure 2 Sediment Sampling Locations List of Tables Table 1 Core Sampling Field Note Summary Table 2 Grab Sampling Field Note Summary Table 3 Core Sample Metal Concentrations Table 4 Core Sample PAH Concentrations Table 5 Core Sample Ancillary Parameters Table 6 Core Sample Laboratory Replicates for Metals Table 7 Core Sample Laboratory Replicates for PAHs Table 8 Grab Sample Metal Concentration Table 9 Grab Sample PAH Concentrations Table 10 Grab Sample Ancillary Parameters Table 11 Grab Sample Laboratory Replicates for Metals Table 12 Grab Sample Laboratory Replicates for PAHs Table 13 Cross-Contamination Swipe Results for Metals Table 14 Cross-Contamination Swipe Results for PAHs List of Appendices Appendix A Photographs Appendix B Laboratory Analytical Data, Quality Control Results and Analytical Methodologies

5 Delta, BC November INTRODUCTION The Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) retained (Hemmera) to complete a sediment sampling program at its Roberts Bank Port facility in Delta, British Columbia, approximately 35 km south of Vancouver (Figure 1). 1.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND The VPA is planning for the development of a Third Berth at Deltaport, VPA s existing Roberts Bank port facility. The existing VPA facilities at Roberts Bank include Deltaport, a 65 hectare (160 acre) container terminal operated by Terminal Systems Inc. (TSI) and a 50 hectare (approximately 124 acre) bulk handling coal loading facility operated by Westshore Terminals. These terminals are connected to the mainland by a 4.1 km causeway, which supports road and rail infrastructure. The proposed Deltaport Third Berth Project consists of the construction and operation of additional port facilities at Deltaport. Principal components of the Project include: Construction of an expanded container storage area of approximately 20 hectares (50 acres) of land using dredged material as fill; Construction of a wharf to accommodate a third berth; and Expansion of the existing ship channel as part of the dredge works. Ancillary components include: Creation of a tug moorage area adjacent to the north side of the third berth, Relocation of a safety boat launch (currently located on the north east side of Deltaport), and Addition of approximately 7 km meters of rail track, which includes: º The extension of the Gulf siding arrival/departure tracks from east of Arthur Drive to 64th Street, Delta (within BC Rail s right-of-way); and, º Additional support track on the causeway, within BC Rail s property.

6 Delta, BC November 2004 An environmental assessment is being conducted for the project that will meet both provincial and federal requirements. Under provincial legislation, the Project is considered a reviewable marine port project according to Table 14 of the BC Environmental Assessment Act Reviewable Projects Regulations (BC Reg. 370/2002). The Project is also subject to federal review under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). The likely CEAA triggers include: an Authorization for the Harmful Alteration, Disruption or Destruction of Fish Habitat from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) according to Section 35 of the Fisheries Act; and a Disposal at Sea Permit for Dredged Material from Environment Canada as per the 1999 Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). The provincial and federal environmental assessment reviews will be coordinated through a harmonized federal-provincial process, as per the terms of the Canada-BC Agreement on Environmental Assessment Cooperation. 1.2 STUDY OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to characterize the physical and chemical properties of sediments in the area of the proposed third berth expansion for the purposes of obtaining a Disposal at Sea Permit for Dredged Material from Environment Canada, as per CEPA. In addition, the information collected from the sediment assessment study will be used by other Deltaport Third Berth Project study teams (e.g., marine environment study team, coastal seabird and waterfowl study team) and will support the overall Deltaport Third Berth Environmental Assessment (EA) Application. 1.3 SCOPE OF WORK The scope of work for this sediment sampling program included: Fieldwork to collect the proposed sediment samples; Laboratory analysis for total metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), total organic carbon (TOC), sulphur, sulphides, and grain size; and Preparation of a data report documenting methods, results and conclusions of the sediment sampling program (six hard copies and one digital version).

7 Delta, BC November SEDIMENT ASSESSMENT STUDY AREA 2.1 PROJECT SEDIMENT WORKS (DREDGING AND FILL) The study area for this sediment sampling program corresponded to the proposed Project dredging areas. Dredging is required for wharf construction, ship channel extension, terminal land construction and material sourcing of fill for terminal land (borrow areas). Preliminary dredging volume estimates for the Project are provided below. Locations are shown on Figure 2): Area 1 - Wharf dredging up to 40 m below mudline (approx. 1,175,000 m 3 ) Area 2 Ship channel extension dredging up to 15 m below mudline (approx. 250,000 m 3 ) Area 3 - Terminal land area dredging up to 40 m below mudline (approx. 200,000 m 3 ) Soft in-situ surface material in the terminal area may need to be removed; either dredged or pumped out Area 4 - Borrow area dredging in turning basin up to 15m below mudline (approx. 2,000,000 m 3 comprised of 1,000,000 m 3 for fill and 1,000,000 m 3 for disposal based on a 50% silt content). It has been estimated that up to 2 million cubic metres of the total dredge volume will be unsuitable for use as onsite fill. The disposal volumes may be smaller if sand is encountered and the material can be used as fill. The VPA will use the waste silt material, where possible, for beneficial use as part of habitat compensation measures. However, a large portion of the waste silt and excess dredged materials will require ocean disposal at two nearby Roberts Bank ocean disposal locations. These ocean disposal sites were used for sediment disposal during previous Roberts Bank developments and are located southwest of the Roberts Bank Port facility.

8 Delta, BC November SEDIMENT SAMPLING LOCATIONS The sediment sampling locations were coordinated with AMEC s geotechnical drilling program for the Deltaport Third Berth Project. AMEC s geotechnical drilling program included six cone penetration tests (CPTs) in the wharf and terminal area and 10 boreholes (BH) described below and shown on Figure 2: BH201 to BH203 in the Terminal area with a depth of m below mud line (dredge depth in this area could be up to 40 metres below mud line). BH204 to BH210 in existing shipping channel (north end) and in the turning basin area with a sample/dredge depth up to 15 m. A total of 45 sediment samples, including 25 core samples collected from the 10 geotechnical boreholes and 20 surface grab samples (10 at geotechnical borehole locations, two at CPT locations and eight at surface grab locations), were sampled (Figure 2). The sample location depths below mud line are described in more detail below: BH201 Surface, 3 metres BH202 Surface, 5 metres, 15 metres, 30 metres, 40 metres BH203 Surface, 5 metres, 20 metres, 30 metres, 40 metres BH204 Surface 1, 5 metres, 10 metres, 15 metres BH205 Surface, 5 metres, 15 metres (geotechnical sample) BH206 Surface, 5 metres, 10 metres, 15 metres BH207 Surface, 5 metres, 15 metres BH208 Surface, 5 metres, 15 metres BH209 Surface, 5 metres, 15 metres BH210 Surface, 5 metres, 15 metres CPT201 Surface CPT202 Surface 1 One grab sample (BH204-Grab) and one core sample (BH204-0m-sed) were collected at the surface of the BH204 location.

9 Delta, BC November 2004 Grab1 Surface Grab2 Surface Grab3 Surface Grab4 Surface Grab5 Surface Grab6 Surface Grab7 Surface Grab8 Surface The 10 m sample from BH204 was collected as an additional sample as the sample volume for the 15 m sample from BH205 was small and concern was raised that the volume may not have been sufficient to provide adequate quality assurance during sampling.

10 Delta, BC November METHODOLOGY 4.1 CORE SAMPLING A geotechnical borehole drilling program was conducted to determine physical properties of the sediment to a maximum depth of 60m. Additional samples were collected for ocean disposal purposes at the sample intervals noted in Section 3.0. The drilling method involved installing 100mm diameter HQ casing through the water column and advancing the casing approximately 10m into the bottom sediments. A tri-cone mounted on NWJ rods was advanced through the casing and used for drilling the sediments. The geotechnical samples collected with a standard 50 mm split spoon sampler and the environmental samples were collected with a larger 75 mm diameter split spoon sampler. In general, environmental samples are collected with dry drilling techniques, however the geotechnical program required the use of drilling fluids. The removal of drill cuttings and stabilization of the borehole was accomplished through the recirculation of an organic based (bio-degradable) drilling fluid. The drilling fluid was pumped through the NWJ rods and injected through ports in the tri-cone where it returned through the borehole annulus and casing to a recirculation tank at the surface. Due to the elevated hydrostatic pressure at depth, it was not possible to isolate the inside of the split spoon sampler from the drilling fluid, so the sample collection method had to be modified to minimize the potential for sample cross contamination from the drilling fluid. To collect the sample the split spoon was opened and the outer portion of the sediment sample, in contact with the split spoon was scraped off, jarred and archived for possible chemical analysis. The sediment sample was collected from the core of the bottom half of the sampler. This material, which had not been in contact with the split spoon or the drilling fluid, was submitted to the project laboratory for chemical analysis. A sample was also collected of the drilling fluid just prior to sediment sample collection. The drilling fluid sample was archived for possible future analysis.

11 Delta, BC November 2004 If sediment sample results indicated an exceedence of the Environment Canada Ocean Disposal Criteria, the corresponding split spoon scraping and drilling fluid sample would have been analyzed in order to determine if the sediment sample analytical results represented the actual sample chemical concentrations or were due to cross contamination from the drilling fluid. Samples were collected in 125mL or 250mL laboratory prepared glass jars with Teflon lids and stored in covered coolers with ice and/or frozen gel packs to maintain the sample temperature near 4ºC until arrival at the project laboratory. At the time of collection the following sediment sample characteristics were recorded: Sample recovery; Anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic debris and organic matter content; Grain size; Colour and odour; and Visual evidence of contamination. Field observations were recorded at each station during sample collection (Table 1). Field observations included general information (e.g., station name, date, time), a description of the site location, GPS coordinates, sediment characteristics (e.g., grain size, colour, odour, debris, visual contamination), and a record of the amount of effort required for sediment collection. Select photographs were included in Appendix A. 4.2 GRAB SAMPLING Mr. Sean Standing of Environment Canada supervised the grab sampling program. Representative surface grab samples were collected from the 10 borehole locations, two of the CPT locations and eight other sampling locations not included in the geotechnical work (see Section 2.0). A 10 m aluminum herring skiff and Ponar grab sampler were used to collect surface grab samples. Sampling stations were located using GPS coordinates and marked with a buoy.

12 Delta, BC November 2004 After stabilizing the boat at the sample station location, sediment grab samples were collected using a using a 8.2L Ponar grab sampler. Each recovered grab sample was examined to ensure acceptable sample quality (i.e., no large foreign objects; adequate penetration; Ponar not overfilled; no leaking water; no disturbance or winnowing). Once the quality of the grab samples was determined to be acceptable, supernatant water in the sampler was decanted and the sediment placed in a pre-cleaned stainless steel mixing bowl for homogenization using a stainless steel spoon. The sample was mixed until homogenous in texture and colour. A single grab provided sufficient material at most stations, however, at sampling locations in the eelgrass bed (BH201, CPT201, CPT202, Grab1), repeated grabs were required to fulfill sample volume requirements. Aliquots of sediment for chemical analysis were collected in 250mL laboratory prepared glass jars with Teflon lids. Sediment samples for grain size analysis were collected in large (1.1L) Ziploc freezer bags. All jars and bags were clearly labelled with the station name, sample number, sampling date and analytical parameters to be analyzed. All samples were stored in covered coolers with ice and/or frozen gel packs to maintain the sample temperature near 4ºC until arrival at the project laboratory. Field observations were recorded during sample collection at each sampling station (Table 2). Field observations included general information (e.g., station name, date, time, weather), a description of the site location, GPS coordinates, sediment characteristics (e.g., grain size, colour, odour, debris, visual contamination), and a record of the amount of effort required for sediment collection. Select photographs were included in Appendix A. 4.3 FIELD QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL (QA/QC) A total of seven blind field duplicates were collected including three grab sample and four core sample duplicates. Field duplicates were collected and packaged in the same manner as the samples. A total of four equipment cross-contamination (XCON) swipes were collected to evaluate field sampling and decontamination procedures by swiping a paper filter over the sampling equipment after decontamination. The four XCON swipe samples were submitted to

13 Delta, BC November 2004 the project laboratory. Two XCON swipes were analysed for total metals and two were analysed for PAHs. Four blank swipes were submitted to the laboratory and archived. The blanks would be analysed only in the event that contaminants were found on the XCON swipes. 4.4 LABORATORY PROGRAM As per Environment Canada s Ocean Disposal Regulations and Interim Contaminant Testing Guidelines, each sample was analysed for total metals (including trace metals mercury and cadmium), PAHs, TOC, and grain size. Fifteen samples were analysed for sulphur/sulphides for characterizing material to be used for beneficial use (i.e. potential fish habitat compensation projects). The chemical analysis of sediment samples was conducted by Cantest Ltd. (Cantest). 2 Sediment grain size analyses were conducted by the Hemmera laboratory. Analytical methodology was as per the Environment Canada Ocean Disposal Regulations and Interim Contaminant Testing Guidelines. 4.5 LABORATORY QA/QC Quality Assurance (QA) is the comprehensive program for assuring reliability of analytical data. Components of QA include documentation, accreditation (e.g. Standards Council of Canada and the Canadian Association of Environmental Analytical Laboratories), proficiency testing and audits. Quality Control (QC) involves the technical activities used to assess and control the quality of the measurement process. For each analytical batch, blanks, spikes, and standards specific to the type and nature of the test were analyzed. Five laboratory replicate analyses were conducted on five samples (Grab3, BH204-0m-sed, BH206-10m-sed, BH207-Grab, BH207-5m-sed). 2 Cantest is accredited and certified by the Canadian Association of Environmental Analytical Laboratories (CAEAL).

14 Delta, BC November RESULTS Core sediment sample results are presented in Tables 3 to 7. Results for the grab samples are presented in Tables 8 to 12. Raw analytical data is found in Appendix B. 5.1 QA/QC Field Duplicates Four field duplicates were collected during the core sampling program. For metals, the relative percent differences (RPDs) were acceptable with all four core sample field duplicates having RPDs below 50%, except zirconium and sodium in BH209-5m-sed, which had a RPD of 67% and 51% respectively (Table 3). No PAHs were detected in the core sediment samples for which duplicates were submitted (Table 4) and hence RPDs could not be calculated. Three field duplicates were collected during the grab sampling program. Acceptable RPDs of below 50% were noted for metals in the three grab sample duplicates (Table 8). For PAHs, the RPDs were below 50% for two of the three duplicates (Table 9). In BH204-Grab and DUP3, the RPDs were greater than 50% for nine PAHs. However, these differences were within five times the laboratory method detection limit and hence are not considered to be of concern. In addition, none of the PAHs exceeded the Disposal at Sea Criteria Cross-Contamination Swipes Cross-contamination results are provided in Tables 13 and 14. PAH concentrations were below the laboratory method detection limits in both cross-contamination samples analyzed for PAHs. The boron, calcium, magnesium, sodium and strontium detected in the cross-contamination swipes analyzed for metals likely come from seawater. Trace amounts of chromium, copper, iron, tin and zinc were also detected but not at concentrations that are of concern, as they are small in relation to measured sample concentrations. Overall, the effect of cross-contamination on sample results is considered negligible.

15 Delta, BC November Laboratory Replicates For the core sampling program, replicate metal analyses were conducted on three samples and replicate PAH analyses were conducted on two of the samples. The RPDs between the highest and lowest metal concentrations did not exceed 50%, except for boron (50.7%) and sodium (68.5%) in the BH204-0m-sed replicates (Table 5). In both cases, the maxima appear to be outliers. If they are excluded, the RPDs fall below 25%. Naphthalene was the only PAH detected in the replicate core samples (Table 6). The RPD between the maximum and minimum naphthalene concentrations was 28.7%. For the grab sampling program, laboratory replicate analyses were conducted on two samples. The RPDs for the replicate metal analyses were below 25% (Table 11). No PAHs were detected in the Grab3 replicates (Table 12). In the BH207-Grab replicates, PAH concentrations were below or near the detection limit and the RPDs for individual PAHs were below 50%. 5.2 CORE SAMPLES Field data and observations collected during the core sampling component of the program are presented in Table 1. Trace shell fragments were observed in one core section and H 2 S odour was detected in another. Sediment ranged from sand with some silt to sandy silt (Table 5). Total organic carbon (TOC) was below 0.5% in 18 of the 25 core sediment samples submitted (Table 5). In the remaining samples, TOC ranged from 0.6% to 1.4%. Total sulphide concentrations in core sediment samples ranged from 8.6 to 315 µg/g, while total sulphur concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 0.16 % (Table 5). Concentrations of cadmium and PAHs were generally below or very near the laboratory method detection limit. Concentrations of mercury were generally detectable but at concentrations less than 10% of the disposal at sea criteria. Therefore, all of the core sediment samples collected in the study area met the Disposal at Sea Criteria for metals and PAHs as per CEPA (Tables 6 and 7).

16 Delta, BC November GRAB SAMPLES Table 2 provides a summary of the field data and observations collected during the grab sampling component of the program. Vegetation observed in the study area included filamentous green algae and rockweed. Marine fauna observed included sea stars, jellyfish, in addition to worms, small crabs, amphipods, and small fish. Grain size results (Table 10) indicate that surface sediment in the turning basin (BH205 to BH210) ranged from 40% sand at the north (inshore) end to 64% sand at the south end. The remaining sediment was comprised mainly of silt (18 to 41%) and clay (12 to 18%). In the ship channel area (BH204 and Grabs 5 to 8) the surface sediments were primarily silt (57 to 60%) with less than 20% sand and less than 25% clay. In the terminal expansion area (BH 201 CPT 202, CPT 202 and Grab1) the surface sediment were primarily sand (60 to 89%). The remaining sediment is primarily silt with clay ranging from only 3.9 to 6.5 %. TOC concentrations ranged from <0.5% to 1.55% but averaged approximately 1.1% (Table 10). Total sulphide concentrations in the surface grab samples ranged from 87.4 to 1,160 µg/g. Total sulphur concentrations ranged from 0.09 to 0.48 %. Concentrations of cadmium and PAHs were generally below or very near the laboratory method detection limit. Concentrations of mercury were generally detectable but at concentrations less than 10% of the disposal at sea criteria. Therefore, all of the grab sediment samples collected in the study area met the Disposal at Sea Criteria for metals and PAHs as per CEPA (Tables 8 and 9).

17 Delta, BC November CONCLUSIONS Sediment grain size varied from sandy silt to sand with a trace of silt. The highest TOC concentration measured in sediment at Robert s Bank was 1.55% with the TOC in surface sediments averaging approximately 1.1%. However, most core sediment samples contained <0.5% TOC, which is considered to be low. Total PAH concentrations were slightly higher in the grab samples than in the core samples. All 25 core sediment samples and 20 surface grab sediment samples collected in the study area in August and September 2004 met the Disposal at Sea Criteria for metals and PAHs as per CEPA. Additional sulphide and sulphur data was collected in support of sediment use for habitat compensation features. Total sulphide concentrations ranged from 8.6 to 1,160 µg/g and total sulphur from 0.03 to 0.48 %. The highest total sulphide and elemental sulphur concentrations were observed in the surface grab samples. A completed copy of Environment Canada s Permit Application (Disposal at Sea) form has been attached to this report (Appendix C). Report Prepared by: HEMMERA ENVIROCHEM INC. Michael Geraghty, M.Sc. Senior Environmental Scientist Christine Lussier, M.A.Sc. Environmental Scientist Report Reviewed by: HEMMERA ENVIROCHEM INC. Reg North, P.Eng., P.Geo. Senior Hydrogeologist

18 Delta, BC November STATEMENT OF LIMITATIONS This report (Report) was prepared by Hemmera, based on field work conducted by Hemmera, for the use of Vancouver Port Authority. The material in it reflects Hemmera s best judgment in light of the information available to it at the time of preparing this Report. Any use that a third party makes of this Report, or any reliance on or decision made based on it, is the responsibility of such third parties. Hemmera accepts no responsibility for damages, if any, suffered by any third party as a result of decisions made or actions taken based on this Report. Hemmera has performed the work as described in its Scope of Work and, made the findings and conclusions set out in this Report in a manner consistent with the level of care and skill normally exercised by members of the environmental science profession practicing under similar conditions at the time the work was performed. This Report represents a reasonable review of the information available to Hemmera within the established Scope of Work and work schedule. It is possible that the levels of contamination or hazardous materials may vary across the Site, and hence currently unrecognized contamination or potentially hazardous materials may exist at the site. No warranty, expressed or implied, is given concerning the presence or level of contamination on the site, except as specifically noted in this Report. The conclusions and recommendations contained in this Report are based upon applicable legislation existing at the time the Report was drafted. Any changes in the legislation may alter the conclusions and/or recommendations contained in the Report. Regulatory implications discussed in this Report were based on the applicable legislation existing at the time this Report was written. In preparing this Report, Hemmera has relied in good faith on information provided by others as noted in this Report, and has assumed that the information provided by those individuals is both factual and accurate. Hemmera accepts no responsibility for any deficiency, mis-statement or inaccuracy in this Report resulting from the information provided by those individuals. The liability of Hemmera to Vancouver Port Authority shall be limited to injury or loss caused by the negligent acts of Hemmera. The total aggregate liability of Hemmera related to this agreement shall not exceed the lesser of the actual damages incurred, or the total fee of Hemmera for services rendered on this project.

19 Delta, BC November REFERENCES Government of Canada.Canadian Environmental Protection Act Disposal at Sea Regulations. Ottawa, Ontario.