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Golder Associates Ltd.
T.613-592-9600
F.613-592-9601
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First Nations Land & former Harvey Barracks - CFB
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Start Date:
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1/1/1996
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End Date:
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4/1/2009
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Location:
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Harvey Barracks, Military Base, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Project Scale:
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Completed.
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Media Treated: |
Soil.
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Clean up of Site Involved:
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Site Characterization & Assessment, Treatment, Removal, Monitoring.
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Site Condition: |
Established in 1914, Harvey Barracks saw nearly continuous use by the Canadian army and air force as an administrative and training site. Decades of firing practice and artillery training had left arms ranges littered with bullets and lead contamination. Some areas still contained UXO items. Solid waste landfills, radioactive materials and demolition dumps were cause for concern as well.
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Proposed Site Usage: |
In 1991, a settlement agreement with the federal government returned the land to the Tsuu Tina. The agreement stipulated that the land was to be returned to a level suitable for residential use.
In 2007, the Tsuu Tina Nation (Nation) constructed a casino on a portion of the former Harvey Barracks at CFB Calgary. There are a number of technical areas where innovative approaches were adopted to overcome the challenges presented by the project.
For example, armor plated and remote-controlled backhoes were constructed to allow investigation and remediation to be completed safely at locations suspected of having UXO items. Also, specially designed screening equipment and search processes were employed during remediation to ensure the removal of UXO items from contaminated soil.
Due to the large volume of data collected, information management was critical to the projects success. This project allowed for the development of state of the art information management systems, such as GIS, that were subsequently adopted for other projects in Alberta including environmental impact assessments. GIS database interface software was created that had never existed before. Golder also developed quantitative assessment/remedial criteria for buried inert waste impacts because there were no such legislated criteria in Canada.
Several other aspects of this project were also important to its success, including Sensitivity to Tsuu Tina culture and participation.
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Reasons for Success: |
The clean-up of the former Harvey Barracks is an excellent example of how consultants, First Nations and Federal Government departments can work together to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
Not only has the Tsuu Tina First Nations benefited from having the land returned to them in a condition suitable for their future use, the project has provided a significant opportunity for training and employment of band members in carrying out the environmental work.
Individuals have been given the opportunity to develop practical skills (e.g. operate heavy equipment, excavators, trucks) and create business opportunities, including the creation of a separate First Nations company (Wolfs Flat). The Tsuu Tina people involved in the project have also had significant opportunity to develop off-reserve personal and business relationships.
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Clean Up Criteria Goals:
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The ultimate objective of the project was to clean-up and return 380 hectares of military land to the Tsuu Tina First Nations in a state suitable for land use.
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Regulatory Approvals Required:
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Government of Alberta, Federal Government, and First Nations
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Exceedance of Set Standards:
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The project was the winner of the 2009 CUI Brownie Award for Category 2 - Sustainable Remediation Technologies & Technological Innovation. Golder Associates won the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada (ACEC) award for the work completed on this project.
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Technologies Used:
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GIS and integrated database software were developed and used for information management and coordination of fieldwork.
Specially designed screening equipment, search processes and cleanup equipment were utilized.
There were a number of technical areas where innovative approaches were adopted to overcome the challenges presented by the project.
For example, Golder developed quantitative assessment/remedial criteria for buried inert waste impacts. Currently, there are no such legislated criteria in Canada.
In addition, specially designed screening equipment, search processes, and armor plated/remote-controlled backhoes were employed to allow investigation and remedial work to be carried out in a safe manner at locations suspected of having UXO items.
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Description:
Due to the large volume of data collected, information management was critical to the success of the project.
It should be appreciated that when the project started in 1996, many of the techniques that became essential to the success of the project were in their infancy.
This project allowed for the development of state of the art information management systems, such as GIS, that were subsequently adopted for other projects in Alberta including environmental impact assessments applied in oil sands projects.
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| Source of Information: |
Golder Associates Ltd.
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