A7

By JENNIFER DUNVILLE
dunville.jennifer@dailygleaner.com

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The Department of Environment says it's keeping its eye on the development of the University of New Brunswick woodlot.

Jonathan Burtt, project manager for the department's project assessment section, said there has been a lot of public concern about development to the area but nothing has happened without the department's approval.

"As a department, we want to ensure that environmental legislation is followed, and we do that through the environmental impact assessment process," Burtt said.

"We also want to ensure that impacts to the environment are avoided, mitigated if they can't be avoided and compensated for if they can't be mitigated."

Before any development, land owners are expected to survey the area being developed and report any wetlands, marshes or other ecologically sensitive areas to the Environment Department.

At the Corbett Centre retail site, the section of woodlot UNB has leased to developers between Regent Street and Kimble Drive, there were five wetlands reported to the Environment Department.

In addition to those five wetlands, the area includes the Corbett Brook Marsh and Larch Swale, a wetland considered significant by the government.

Burtt said the development had the potential to impact wetlands greater than two hectares, so an environmental impact assessment was required.

"An EIA (environmental impact assessment) is a study that identifies all the parts of the environment in the area being developed," he said.

"It outlines the project and its potential impact. In the case of the Corbett Centre, UNB hired Jacques Whitford Environment Ltd., consulting engineers and environmental scientists, to do the assessment."

There are two types of environmental impact assessments: a determination review and a comprehensive review.

Both involve public consultation and a review by the Environment Department's technical review committee made up of provincial, federal and municipal representatives.

With a determination review, there are three potential outcomes: project approval with conditions set by the Environment Department, project rejection or a recommendation for a comprehensive review.

Burtt said a comprehensive review is a more detailed report that follows a more formal process.

In considering whether to go ahead with a comprehensive study, he said, the environment minister would look at whether there were any unknown technical and environmental factors that required further study and whether there was enough public interest to justify a comprehensive review.

UNB was ordered to do a determination review, and its project was approved with conditions set by the department, which included staying 30 metres back from Wetland 1, the Corbett Brook Marsh and Larch Swale.

The department determined a comprehensive review wasn't needed.

"Only about five per cent of all projects have to undergo a comprehensive review, so we're talking major, major projects," Burtt said.

"But it's important people understand that a determination review is not a quick, rubber-stamp process. It still requires a lot of environmental assessment, expertise on the part of consultants and a detailed review by our technical review committee. Also, as site plans are modified, all changes have to be approved by us."

The developer hired by UNB - Trinity Development Group Ltd. - was given permits to build over Wetland 4, Wetland 3, part of Wetland 5 and change the shape of Wetland 2, which drains into Larch Swale.

A field study of those wetlands was conducted in 2003 by a team that included Mary Murdoch, an environmental scientist; Michael MacDonald, a wildlife and wetland biologist; and Robert Sharp, a hydrological engineer.

In its report, published by Jacques Whitford and registered with the department in February 2006, the team described Wetland 1 as a 2.7-hectare wetland south of Knowledge Park Drive and north of Corbett Brook Marsh.

It discharges water to Corbett Brook, but doesn't contribute to the recharging of regional water supply aquifers, provide flood protection or useable surface water.

It was ruled as "having no critical value," although the possibility of the presence of rare, threatened or endangered animal or plant species couldn't be ruled out.

The university wasn't permitted to develop within 30 metres of Wetland 1.

Wetlands 4 and 5 were less than one hectare and were both considered to have low ecological and habitat value.

Wetland 5 was classified only marginally as a wetland, and Wetland 4 was a man-made impoundment 10 times larger than what was originally considered to have naturally occurred.

Both were covered over by the strip mall that includes Winners and Michaels.

Wetland 3 was smaller than two hectares and was located approximately where Eastside Mario's sits, Burtt said.

"As for Wetland 2, because it does drain into Larch Swale, the developer was given permission to change its shape, but monitor the impact on Larch Swale and keep the gas pumps for the gas bar planned for that area out of the 30-metre buffer zone," he said.

"And because there was a total loss of 0.7 hectares of wetland, we require that UNB compensate for that loss by creating, enhancing or saving another wetland of similar size."

Burtt said the construction of Home Depot didn't need an environmental impact assessment, but a watercourse and wetland alteration permit was required.

The Friends of UNB Woodlot has reported recently that it has discovered another wetland in the development area.

Burtt said he hasn't been made aware of that find.

He said public finds and concerns must be heard during the consultation process of an impact assessment.

And while that process has ended in this case, he said, the group could take the issue to UNB.

"It's sort of too late, but that said, if something comes up like this at the 11th hour, most proponents (land developers) want to do right by the community and they'll typically look at ways to address public concern," Burtt said.

"At the same time, we do follow up on projects like this and certainly will be an active monitoring presence once further development goes forward."

Burtt said as the gas bar and Costco construction moves forward, UNB will be required to monitor water quality on a weekly basis.

Once construction is complete, one-year, three-year and five-year tests will be required and audited by the department.

"The gas bar will have to undergo additional environmental scrutiny through an approvals process with us and they will have to have certain specifications for their tanks and petroleum storage, construction and design," Burtt said.

"For that site though, at this point, we are satisfied that the proponent has avoided impacting wetlands where they can and where we've asked them to and they've committed to any mitigation or compensation that we've asked of them."