Strong Pine Energy Services (SPES) is proposing to develop and operate a silica sand project southwest of Hanson Lake, Saskatchewan, approximately 100 km west of Flin Flon, Manitoba. The purpose of the Project is to produce high quality silica sand, primarily for use in the oil and gas industry. EDI team members provided technical support, with a focus on the effects assessment for the Environmental Impact Statement, the caribou migration and offsetting plan, and the aquatic assessment. In February 2020, SPES received approval from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment to proceed with this project.
EDI’s efforts on the project included:
- Conducting vegetation and caribou (ground) surveys
- Assisting with revisions to the effects assessment for all components
- Preparing a Caribou Migration and Offsetting Plan:
- Quantifying the potential direct and indirect Project effects on caribou and their habitat
- Generating a Caribou Migration and Offsetting Plan, based on initial Project planning and design specifications, that proposed a preliminary strategy for habitat restoration and offset measures for discussion
- Conducting the aquatics assessment:
- Conducting a field program to collect aquatic baseline information for Hanson Lake including water quality, sediment quality, bathymetry, benthic invertebrate community, fish habitat, and fish community
- Completing an effects assessment for the aquatic environment to identify, evaluate and determine the significance of potential effects resulting from the Project after mitigation had been considered