Village of Telkwa Watermain Project – Non-farm Activities in the Agricultural Land Reserve
The Village of Telkwa has constructed an access road and watermain in British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Reserve, where non-farming activities are carefully regulated by the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC). As per conditions outlined by the ALC, disturbed areas associated with the access road and watermain needed to be reclaimed to an agricultural capability equal to or better than pre-construction conditions once construction activities were completed.
In 2018, EDI Environmental Dynamics Inc. was retained by the Village of Telkwa to complete an assessment of the proposed project footprint prior to development of the access road and watermain. Tasks included reporting on pre-construction conditions and creating both a reclamation plan and an invasive plant species management plan. During construction, a Professional Agrologist on EDI’s team provided oversite of the environmental monitoring required for the project.
In 2020, following completion of the project, EDI was retained to conduct a reclamation field assessment for topsoil, topography, and vegetation re-establishment. The topsoil and topography assessment focused on the suitability of reclamation earthworks (i.e., topsoil replacement, re-instatement of landscape features and topography, and surface water management), while the vegetation component focused on vegetation re-establishment, land management, and the presence of invasive plant species.