Canada: Dredging Plan for Esquimalt Graving Dock Moves Ahead

The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages and Senior Minister Responsible for British Columbia, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, announced the award of a $6.5M contract to Salish Sea Joint Venture of Victoria, British Columbia to construct a sheet pile wall to provide erosion protection at the Esquimalt Graving Dock.

This project is a part of a major remediation project to remove contaminated sediment in the Esquimalt Graving Dock water lot.

“Our Government’s priority remains the economy and job creation,” said Minister Moore. “This environmental remediation work benefits Esquimalt Harbour, contributes to the economic foundation of the community and mitigates risk to human health and the environment.”

“These new investments in the Greater Victoria area clearly illustrate the Harper Government’s continued commitment to environmental stewardship and to our community,” said Minister Ambrose. “Through this investment, we are not only cleaning up the seabed surrounding the dock, but also creating jobs and investing in the local economy.”

The Esquimalt Graving Dock has been used for the repair and maintenance of military and civilian vessels since 1927. Decades of work at the dock has contributed to sediment contamination in the seabed around the facility. This project will ensure that the water lot meets federal and provincial environmental standards and will deliver jobs and important economic benefits to the region’s economy over the next two years.

The Project involves three components: constructing an erosion protection sheet pile wall around the south jetty; dredging the contaminated sediment and disposing of it in licensed landfills; and creating new fish habitat.

The Esquimalt Graving Dock Water Lot Remediation Project is funded through the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan, which is coordinated by Environment Canada and the Treasury Board to provide funding to assess and remediate federal contaminated sites.

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Press Release, November 9, 2012