New Fraser River Crossing Project

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New Fraser River Crossing Project

Work Plan:

Impact Assessment of

Agricultural Resources

Submitted to:

Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority

1600 - 4720 Kingsway

Burnaby, BCV5H 4N2

Submitted by:

Dan Schroeter Consulting Inc.

# 410 1639 West 2nd

Avenue

Vancouver, BC

V6J 1H3

May 2003


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This report was prepared for the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink) by an independent

consultant and neither Dan Schroeter Consulting Inc. nor TransLink warrants or represents, in any way, that thereport and the contents thereof are accurate, complete or capable of being relied upon for the general or specific

purposes of any person or any independent consultant or professional advisors retained by that person to review

same. Any reliance on the report by any person or such consultant or professional advisor shall be entirely at that

person's own risk. TransLink is not the author of the report and is not responsible for its content nor does TransLink

necessarily adopt or agree with anything expressed in the report. The opinions and views expressed in the report are

those of the consultant and not the opinions or views of TransLink. TransLink is not now and will not at any time

hereafter be responsible or liable for any claims, demands, expenses, liabilities, losses, claims or damages arising

from or related to the report or the information contained therein, whether directly or indirectly.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

1.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION.............................................................................................1

1.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND............................................................................................1

1.2 FRC DESCRIPTION ......................................................................................................1

2.0 STUDY TEAM................................................................................................................3

3.0 WORK PLAN ................................................................................................................. 4

3.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION REVIEW .................................................................... 4

3.2 FIELD PROGRAM..........................................................................................................5

3.3 IMPACT ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................ 5

3.4 MITIGATION/COMPENSATION .................................................................................... 7

3.5 ASSESSMENT OF CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ...............................................................7

3.6 REPORT AND MAP PREPARATION ............................................................................7


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1.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

1.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND

The principle of a new, tolled crossing of the Fraser River in the 200th Street corridor was

endorsed by the Board of Directors of the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority

("TransLink") in September 2000. Subsequently, an extensive study and consultation processwas undertaken to explore the feasibility of the project as well as to determine the preferred

alignment and configuration of the new crossing and its associated road network improvements.

Beginning in 2002, two main crossing optionsreferred to as the 200th

St. Bridge Option and

Barnston Tunnel Optionwere identified for further study using multiple account evaluation

(MAE). The MAE considered the following factors: engineering and technical studies; financialmodeling; environmental, socio-community and socio-economic information; and input from

regulatory agencies, the public, First Nations and other stakeholders. The environmental

component of the MAE included comparative assessment of potential impacts relating to:agriculture; air quality; archaeological resources; contaminated sites; fisheries and aquatic

resources; noise; and wildlife, wildlife habitat and vegetation. The comparative analysis,

completed in February 2003, identified the 200th

St. Bridge Option as the preferred alternative.

The GVTA Board of Directors endorsed the Bridge Option on March 28, 2003.

Current planning is that the project will likely be undertaken as a public-private partnership("P3").

1.2 FRC DESCRIPTION

Starting from the west, the New Fraser River Crossing mainline begins near the intersection of

176th

Street (Highway 15) and 96th

Avenue. Heading eastward, the FRC mainline parallels 96th

Avenue and crosses the Trans Canada Highway (TCH) and Barnston Drive East in a

northeasterly direction, approximately at 182nd

St. There is no provision for connection to the

TCH.

From the TCH crossing, the FRC mainline curves to an easterly direction to parallel the southside of the CN Rail tracks from approximately 186

thStreet to 199A Street. Intersections are

provided at the proposed roadway that would connect, in the future, to the South Fraser

Perimeter Road (at the equivalent of 184th

Street) and at 192nd

Street.

At 199A Street, the FRC mainline turns northward crossing above the CN Rail tracks on

structure. The mainline remains on structure above 201st

Street, leading onto the main bridgestructure over the Fraser River. At the CN Rail crossing, access to the FRC northbound is

provided by a ramp extending from 201st

Street, which is converted to one-way northbound

south of the tracks. An exit ramp from the FRC southbound is provided to 199A Street, which isconverted to one-way southbound.


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North of the Fraser River, the FRC mainline is on structure, crossing over Dyke Road east of

Katzie Reserve No. 1 and returning to grade south of 113B Avenue. An interchange is providedat 113B Avenue. The FRC mainline continues northward to the Lougheed Highway, generally

following the municipal boundary between Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge. The section north of

113B interchange includes grade-separated crossings of the CP Rail tracks and the Lougheed

Highway respectively. An interchange provides connection from the Lougheed Highway west-and eastbound to the FRC, and from the FRC to the Lougheed Highway westbound. The

connection from the FRC to the Lougheed Highway eastbound is provided from an exit ramp

that ties into Maple Meadows Way just south of the West Street intersection.

The FRC project also includes the proposed Abernethy Connector linking the FRC interchange

at Lougheed Highway to 128th

Ave. at 209th

St. in Maple Ridge.

Cautionary Note

The Abernethy Connector concept requires the approval of the District of Maple Ridge before it

can be included as a component of the New Fraser River Crossing Project for which certificationis being sought under the BC Environmental Assessment Act. Some available preliminary

information on the concept will be included in TransLink's main Environmental Assessment

(EA) Application. It is anticipated that the timing of the municipality's approval will enable the

Connector to be included in a supplement to the main EA Application, to be submitted within 90days of filing the main Application. If Maple Ridge endorses the concept within that timeframe,

more detailed information will be presented in the supplementary submission, and the Abernethy

Connector will formally become part of the overall project for which EA Certification is beingsought.


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2.0 STUDY TEAM

The agricultural impact assessment will be completed by Dan Schroeter Consulting Inc. (DSCI).

The impact assessment will build on work DSCI completed previously as part of the comparativeassessment phase.

DSCI was formed in 1997 as a consulting vehicle for its principal, Mr. Dan Schroeter, a

Professional Agrologist and economist with more than twenty-five years of environmental

consulting experience in British Columbia.

Dan Schroeter, MSc., P.Ag., Principal

Mr. Schroeter obtained a BA in Honours Economics in 1971 and an MSc. in Agriculture in 1973,

both from UBC. He has a strong farming background as well as extensive agricultural

consulting experience with highway improvement projects. As DSCI, he participated in Ministryof Transportation and Highways' Cache Creek to the Rockies Program (1998 to 2001) and

Miracle Beach Connector, Inland Island Highway (1999-2000).

Prior to 1997, Mr. Schroeter was President of Talisman Land Resource Consultants Inc. He was

one of that firm's key agricultural specialists and participated in a variety of MoTH highwayimprovement projects including: Okanagan Connector Project (1988-1995), Inland Island

Highway Project (1989-1997), Cottonwood Connector (1992-1993), Patricia Bay Highway

upgrading (1991), and the East-West Road Project in Richmond (1983-1988).Highway consulting activities have included:

Participating on multidisciplinary engineering and environmental assessment teams;

Providing comparative agricultural assessment of corridor and alignment options;

Investigating and mapping agricultural capability and land use, based on field survey and

review of available documentation;

Providing agricultural input to detailed project design;

Participating in First Nations and public consultation programs;

Liaison and consultation with Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) and other pertinent

agencies/stakeholders regarding project related agricultural issues;

Preparing "Schedule 1" applications to the ALC; and

Identifying agricultural mitigation and compensation options.


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3.0 WORK PLAN

The impact assessment will focus on agricultural lands located on or near the project alignment.

The study area includes those lands located within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) as wellas other lands dedicated, or potentially dedicated, to agricultural use (existing and future).

The previously completed comparative assessment found that the FRC project does not impact

any agricultural resources or uses south of the Fraser River. Therefore, the study area is limited

to lands located on or near the FRC mainline north of the Fraser River, including AbernethyConnector.

The agricultural impact assessment will enable identification of agricultural issues and potentialimpacts, as well as definition of mitigation strategies and compensation opportunities. The

assessment scope will include consideration of the highway's design footprint plus areas outside

the design footprint that are likely to be affected by construction. The assessment will alsoconsider the impacts of possible malfunctions or accidents and issues related to highway

operation.

In implementing the work plan, DSCI will work closely with the FRC project team, the ALC and

any other applicable interest groups, as well as owners/operators of potentially affected

agricultural lands, both within and outside the ALR.The workplan includes the following tasks:

Background information review;

Field program;

Impact assessment;

Identification of mitigation/compensation;

Assessment of cumulative effects;

Report and map preparation.

3.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION REVIEW

DSCI will collect and review all relevant published and unpublished information specific to thestudy area. Interviews with government agency staff, interest groups and agricultural land

owners/operators will also be undertaken. Possible sources of information include:

Associated Engineering's August 2002 1:10 000 black and white orthophoto-mosaicsbased on recent aerial photography;

Associated Engineering's July 26, 2002 1:4 000 drawings in its Fraser River CrossingDesign Due Diligence Study, plus any subsequent revisions, additions and amendments;


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1:25 000 soils mapping of the corridor area, contained in Soils of the Langley-VancouverMap Area. 1980. RAB Bulletin 18, Volume 1. BC Ministry of Environment;

1:25 000 agricultural capability mapping of the corridor area, extracted from Soils of the

Langley-Vancouver Map Area. 1980. RAB Bulletin 18, Volume 5. BC Ministry ofEnvironment;

1:10 000 ALR boundary mapping, produced and regularly updated by the AgriculturalLand Commission, Burnaby;

Relevant ALR applications and associated file material available for viewing at the

Agricultural Land Commission offices in Burnaby, and interviews with appropriate ALCstaff;

Minutes of the Agricultural Land Commission meeting held on November 15, 2002,

together with Resolution 85/202 passed at that meeting, and accompanying letters of

November 21, 2002 and December 13, 2002 from K.B. Miller, Chief Executive Officer,

ALC; and

Information collected previously during the field program undertaken as a part of thecomparative assessment phase of the project.

3.2 FIELD PROGRAM

DSCI will conduct a field reconnaissance program to complement and confirm background

information obtained from documentary sources. The work will build on field activities

completed previously for the comparative assessment. However, it will involve more detailed

field survey of some areas where agricultural resources are potentially impacted by the FRCbridge option specifically. Areas previously addressed in the comparative assessment that will

be studied in greater detail include:

Non-ALR lands used for agriculture, located west of Katzie IR1;

ALR lands at the proposed intersection of FRC mainline with 113B Ave., particularly

those situated west of Katzie Slough; and

ALR lands at the proposed FRC interchange with Lougheed Highway.

The field program will also focus on the Abernethy Connector, a component that was added tothe project subsequent to completion of the comparative assessment. The Connector is located

entirely within the ALR and passes through lands actively used for agriculture.

The field survey work will include contact with selected individual ALR/farm property owners

or operators, including the golf course operator potentially impacted by the Lougheed Highway

intersection, to collect detailed information on both current and future agricultural use.

3.3 IMPACT ASSESSMENT


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Engineering and other technical information provided by the proponent (e.g. ortho-photos and

engineering drawings) will be used to determine the agricultural footprint of the project. Thefootprint information, combined with background information on existing and future agricultural

values, will enable an assessment of both positive and negative project design impacts. The

impact assessment will also consider construction impacts. Impacts will be quantified wherever

possible.

Potential agricultural impacts that will be considered include:

Direct loss of ALR land and existing agricultural use, and consequential impacts onexisting farm operations (e.g. imbalances between cropland and livestock, accelerated

depreciation of machinery complement);

Severance, or separation, of ALR lands and areas of existing agricultural use from the

main body of the ALR, or from the main portion of operating farms;

Loss or alteration of access to ALR lands and existing agricultural use;

Disturbance of on-farm drainage and regional drainage affecting ALR lands and existingagricultural use;

Disturbance of on-farm irrigation systems and regional irrigation supplies;

Disturbance of on-farm utilities (e.g. power lines, wells and pumphouses, as well as

pipelines to livestock watering facilities, farm residences and other farm buildings);

Disturbance of fencing and other works used for livestock control and property security;

Increased noise near noise-sensitive agricultural operations (e.g. milking parlours);

Increased public access and consequential problems (e.g. littering, vandalism, theft,

interference with livestock etc.);

Interference with views across farm properties (to check on farm labour, livestock,trespass etc.);

Disturbance of existing livestock and machinery movements, either on-farm or between

farm properties.


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3.4 MITIGATION/COMPENSATION

DSCI will identify opportunities for avoidance or mitigation of potential impacts, including

measures relating to: operation of farm machinery; protection of livestock, farm drainage,

irrigation works, and other utilities crossed or otherwise affected by proposed highway/bridgerights-of-way; fencing and other works to restore livestock control and property security; noise

abatement and view retention; separation of highway runoff from surface irrigation supplies; and

provision/restoration of access to farm holdings and operations. Although no compensationestimates will be made, DSCI will identify compensation strategies to offset residual impacts to

private farm and ALR holdings.

The ALC has indicated that the Abernethy Connector portion of the project will require a

compensation package following its "Net Benefit to Agriculture Framework" (Policy 042/98).

Opportunities for providing such a package will be defined from various possible options

including:

Regional drainage improvements;

Improved access for regional agriculture;

Clearer and more effective separation between urban and agricultural areas; and

Parcel boundary realignment.

3.5 ASSESSMENT OF CUMULATIVE EFFECTS

DSCI will assess any residual changes in the agricultural environment in combination withidentified residual agricultural effects of other projects (including past, present and imminentprojects).

3.6 REPORT AND MAP PREPARATION

DSCI will prepare a stand-alone agricultural resources impact assessment report. Information inthe report will be incorporated into the summary EIA document prepared in support of the

proponent's application for BCEAA/CEAA review.

Key site-specific agricultural information and constraints will be mapped for inclusion on

highway/bridge design drawings and reports as appropriate. DSCI will prepare otherdocumentation (e.g. letters, memos) as required to address site-specific issues that may ariseduring the impact assessment phase.

Documents

New Fraser River Crossing Project