(February 22, 2019, ESQUIMALT HARBOUR, B.C.) – Milestone Environmental Contracting is pleased to announce that they have been awarded the Y Jetty & Lang Cove Remediation Project at the Department of National Defence’s (DND) Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt naval harbour. The project is in the traditional territory of the Lekwungen People of the Coast Salish Nation, known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations.
The Y Jetty & Lang Cove project is the next phase of the DND’s ongoing Esquimalt Harbour Remediation Program, which aims to remediate historical contamination from more than a century of military, industrial and commercial use, and mitigate risk to harbour ecosystems. The Milestone team is currently wrapping up work on the adjacent C Jetty & ML Floats phase of the harbour remediation project and will begin on the Y Jetty & Lang Cove phase this month. Mike Davison, Milestone’s site superintendent, notes that their early work in the harbour “has helped hone our remedial approach and fine tune our methods.”
This next phase of remedial dredging will target sediment contamination that includes heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The project is valued at $33.7 million and will address 47,100 m3 of contaminated sediments.
Key features of the Y Jetty & Lang Cove project include a strong Indigenous Benefits Plan that facilitates the procurement of goods and services from Indigenous-owned companies and the delivery of training and employment opportunities for the members of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. Full-time archaeology and unexploded explosive ordnance (UXO) removal teams will be on site, with the remedial dredging being conducted by Fraser River Pile & Dredge. The project will utilize a Milestone-proven process for UXO removal and screening of dredgeate.
Bill Morgan, senior project manager for Milestone, said he is “looking forward to bringing Milestone’s innovative processes to this next phase of work to remediate Esquimalt Harbour and the continued successful collaboration with the Department of National Defense, Public Works and Government Services Canada and the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations.”
Milestone is proud to be awarded a project where the Government of Canada considered overall value that focused on socio-economic benefit to Indigenous peoples, responsible environmental practice and advanced technical design.
– 30 –