S&R Sawmills Ltd. | Maintenance Dredging

July 22, 2022

Project status
Permit issued

On October 5, 2022 a project permit was issued to applicant to develop S&R Sawmills – Maintenance Dredging located at 18887 98A Avenue, Surrey, British Columbia on federal lands and water managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

The project was approved subject to 33 permit conditions applicant 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.

About the project

Fraser River Pile and Dredge (GP) Inc. on behalf of S&R Sawmills Ltd. proposes to conduct maintenance dredging on the south side of Parsons Channel of the Fraser River adjacent to 18887 98A Avenue, Surrey, BC. Dredging is required to remove natural river infill and wood wastes from log handling and to re-establish the required depths to ensure continued safe navigation and access for marine vessels. The applicant is seeking a multi-year permit to dredge within the fish least risk window for the Fraser River. Maintenance dredging within the same footprint was most recently conducted in November 2021 under PER 17-156 and in February 2022 as emergency works. 

 The Project consists of dredging up to 50,000 cubic metres of material within a 98,000 square metre footprint to general grades between -2.4 and -4.9 metres low local water and up to -6.0 metres local low water immediately fronting two mill sites. Dredging will be carried out using a marine spud derrick equipped with a clamshell bucket. Dredged materials will be loaded onto a barge for transport and disposal at an approved disposal-at-sea site under a valid Environment and Climate Change Canada permit. Dredging works are typically carried out on an annual basis with periodic dredging carried out as required. Works may be conducted outside of regular work hours, e.g., on weekends during shutdown periods, to accommodate facility operations. 

As part of the Project and Environmental Review  for the proposed project under the Impact Assessment Act, the proposed project was posted on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry with an opportunity for public comment between July 22 and August 20, 2022.

Contact information
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 here.