AF APPENDIX 3-I-A T EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REPORT D R Alternative Route Assessment around Loon Lake for the East-West Tie Transmission Project December 19, 2016 Project No. 1536607/2000/2017 T AF R D December 19, 2016 NEXTBRIDGE INFRASTRUCTURE LP D R AF T Alternative Route Assessment around Loon Lake for the East‑West Tie Transmission Project Report Number: 1536607/2000/2017 Distribution: NextBridge Infrastructure LP - 1 e-copy Golder Associated Ltd. - 1 e-copy T AF R D ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 2. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................. 1 Previous E valuation of Alternatives ............................................................................................ 1 2.2 Identification of Additional Alternative Route Segments ............................................................... 2 APPROACH FOR THE EV ALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE ROUTE SEGMENTS .................................... 3 3.1 Overall Met hod ......................................................................................................................... 3 3.2 Alternatives Assessment Criteria and Indicators.......................................................................... 3 T 3. 2.1 COMP ARATIV E EV ALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE ROUTE SEGMENTS .............................................. 3 5. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................... 5 LIST OF TABLES Table 4-1: AF 4. Loon Lake Alternative Route Segments Advantages and Disadvantages................................. 4 LIST OF APPENDICES R APPENDIX A Loon Lake Alternative Route Segments Figure D APPENDIX B Alternatives Assessment Criteria and Indicators Table Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 i AF T ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT D R This page left intentionally blank Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 ii ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS Environmental Assessment GIS geographic information systems IESO Independent Electricity System Operator km kilometre kV kilovolt MNRF Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry MOECC Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change NextBridge NextBridge Infrastructure LP OEB Ontario Energy Board OPA Ontario Power Authority ROW right-of-way SWH significant wildlife habitat the Project East-West Tie Transmission Project ToR Terms of Reference TS Transformer Station D R AF T EA Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 iii AF T ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT D R This page left intentionally blank Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 iv ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT 1. INTRODUCTION NextBridge Infrastructure LP (NextBridge) is proposing to construct, own and maintain the East-West Tie Transmission Project (the Project or undertaking). The Project is a new, approximately 446 kilometre (km) long double-circuit 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line that connects the Lakehead Transformer Station (TS) in the Municipality of Shuniah, near the City of Thunder Bay, to the Wawa TS located east of the Municipality of Wawa (with a connection at the Marathon TS, in the Town of Marathon). T The Project has been identified as a priority project by the Province of Ontario, and a needed Project by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO, formerly the Ontario Power Authority [OPA; On January 1, 2015, the OPA merged with the IESO to create a new organization that combines the OPA and IESO mandates.]) to meet future electricity demand in northwestern Ontario. AF The Project is subject to Ontario’s Individual Environmental Assessment (EA) process based on the voltage and length. A Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Individual EA was submitted to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) in February 2014 and approved in August 2014. Subsequently, an EA Report has been prepared in accordance with the approved ToR. The preliminary preferred route for the Project was identified by comparing the routes that were originally proposed by NextBridge during the Ontario Energy Board’s (OEB) competitive bid process (i.e., the Reference Route that generally parallels the existing East-West Tie line and three alternative route segments around certain federal lands) with a series of 37 additional alternative route segments, as requested by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and other stakeholders. The alternative route assessment used the criteria and indicators provided in the approved ToR to identify the route that is preferred from environmental, socio-economic and technical perspectives (i.e., more advantages than disadvantages). D R Consultation on the preliminary preferred route with local residents, landowners, and fishing club representatives near Loon Lake, including feedback received at the second and third round of Open Houses, resulted in identification of alternative route segments around Loon Lake. This report focusses on the assessment of these Loon Lake alternative route segments. The objective of this assessment is to confirm the option in the vicinity of Loon Lake with the best balance of environmental, socio-economic and technical advantages compared to other alternatives, which will be the preferred route. 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 Previous Evaluation of Alternatives The Reference Route (as defined in the EA Report), and three alternative routes to avoid certain federal lands (two First Nation reserves and Pukaskwa National Park) were identified by NextBridge as part of a screening process completed during the bid process organized by the OEB. The Reference Route, which generally parallels the existing East-West Tie line, is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, 2014 which recommends making the best use of existing infrastructure and corridors, and that infrastructure be provided in a coordinated, efficient and cost effective manner before proposing new greenfield (i.e., parcel of land that has not been previously developed [Heid 2004]) developments that do not parallel existing developments. This was one of the OPA’s considerations in selecting the Reference Route (also referred to as the Reference Option by the OPA) and is consistent with the direction to other electricity transmitters in the past from provincial agencies and ministries Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 1 ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT to make use of existing rights-of-way (ROWs) and corridors before seeking approvals for greenfield routes (i.e., not adjacent to existing infrastructure). The Reference Route was identified based on the following: the IESO and Ontario Energy Board identified and acknowledged the Reference Route; the use of the Reference Route is consistent with provincial policy as it is generally adjacent to the existing East-West Tie line ROW. the bidding process to select a designated transmitter focused on the Reference Route; NextBridge examined the Reference Route during the bidding process; the Reference Route is the shortest distance to connect the Thunder Bay TS and Wawa TS with a connection at Marathon TS (following existing transmission facilities); and, AF T It was determined that additional alternative route segments should be identified and assessed as potential alternatives to the Reference Route to confirm the best route from an environmental, socio-economic and technical perspective based on comments received during the ToR phase. The Township of Dorion also requested that NextBridge review additional alternative route segments to avoid affecting private property in the Dorion area and potential effects to the Ouimet Canyon area. In December 2015, NextBridge produced the Alternative Route Report (NextBridge 2015) that included an evaluation of alternative route segments, as requested by the MNRF and other stakeholders. The Reference Route was assessed in each area in comparison to alternative route segments representing other route options to identify the preliminary preferred route. R NextBridge determined, based on the assessment, that with two exceptions the preliminary preferred route is generally adjacent to the existing East-West Tie line, and it has more advantages and fewer disadvantages than the alternative route segments. The first exception relates to Pukaskwa National Park. Given that Parks Canada has determined that it is not prepared to authorize access to study a new transmission line through Pukaskwa National Park, the alternative around the park that is adjacent to a 115-kV transmission line and logging roads and crosses a cutover area is considered the best feasible alternative and therefore, forms part of the preliminary preferred route. Also, based on feedback received through public consultation with the residents of the Township of Dorion and the results of the desktop GIS-based analysis, routing to the west of Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park is generally preferred in this area and has been identified as part of the preliminary preferred route. D Additional alternative route segments around provincial parks and conservation reserves were identified and assessed in response to feedback on the assessment from the MNRF. This additional assessment is included in Appendix 3-I-B and confirmed that the preliminary preferred route has more advantages and fewer disadvantages than the additional alternative route segments. 2.2 Identification of Further Alternative Route Segments NextBridge was presented with two alternative route segments by Loon Lake community members, the Damphino Fishing Club, and the North Shore Fishing Club at a meeting held July 26, 2016 at the West Loon Lake Community Centre. A third alternative route segment was forwarded to NextBridge on July 27, 2016. Through discussion at the meeting, and follow-up discussions, one of the alternative route segments was identified as the preferred alternative by Loon Lake stakeholders. NextBridge proposed some minor refinements to improve constructability of this particular alternative and it was then assessed as an additional alternative route segment. This additional alternative route segment is the focus of this report. This alternative route segment, along with the preliminary preferred route segment around Loon Lake, are shown in Appendix A. Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 2 ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT 3. APPROACH FOR THE EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE ROUTE SEGMENTS The following sections summarize the method used for the identification, evaluation and selection of the preferred alternative route segment around Loon Lake. 3.1 Overall Method AF T A similar method to that applied by NextBridge (2015) was used for this analysis. The general routing criteria (Table 1 from NextBridge 2015; Appendix 3-I-C), the preference for existing linear ROWs with consideration of the limitations associated with paralleling certain types of existing infrastructure was considered (e.g., minimum separation distances), and the two-step process for comparison using assessment criteria and indicators as well as screening criteria (MOECC 2014) were applied in identifying and assessing additional route segments. Each alternative had to meet the screening criteria listed in the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) Code of Practice: Preparing and Reviewing Terms of Reference for Environmental Assessments in Ontario (2014) criteria to be carried forward. Data for the comparative evaluation presented in Section 4 were derived from available Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases and supplemented by air photo interpretation where possible. For some linear feature types (e.g., rail lines, roads, trails and watercourses) that are crossed multiple times, the feature is only reported (in Appendix A) as a single crossing per alternative. The GIS-based information used for this assessment may not be as detailed as that presented in the EA Report. 3.2 Alternatives Assessment Criteria and Indicators Route Report R The alternatives assessment criteria and indicators that were used in the Alternative (NextBridge 2015) were used to assess the new alternative route segment. D 4. COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE ROUTE SEGMENTS This section presents the comparative evaluation of the alternative route segments around Loon Lake. Criteria and indicator tables used to support the analysis are presented in Appendix B. All the criteria and indicators were evaluated with the focus of the discussion on advantages and disadvantages and notable differences between route segments. The advantages and disadvantages of each route segment are presented in Table 4-1. The advantages of the alternative route segment around Loon Lake are that it is the shortest route segment, has the smallest area of overlap with potential aggregate resources, has the smallest area of overlap with mapped water bodies (not including watercourses), has the largest area of overlap with previous logging disturbance, crosses the least number of roads and is preferred by Loon Lake community members. For these reasons, the alternative route segment around Loon Lake is considered the best alternative. Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 3 ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT Table 4-1: Loon Lake Alternative Route Segments Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages Largest area of the ROW that overlaps with mining claims Largest area of the ROW that overlaps with mapped unevaluated wetlands Greatest number of mapped watercourses crossed by the ROW Largest area of the ROW that overlaps with potentially SWH Smallest area of the ROW that overlaps with a mining operation or claim Smallest area of the ROW that overlaps with mapped unevaluated wetlands Least number of mapped watercourses crossed by the ROW Smallest area of the ROW that overlaps with potentially SWH Longest route Largest area of the ROW that overlaps with potential aggregate resources Largest area of mapped water bodies (not including watercourses) in the ROW Greatest number of mapped water bodies crossed by the ROW Smallest area of the ROW with previous logging disturbance Greatest number of roads crossed by the ROW Greatest number of transmission line corners Greatest number of transmission line crossovers Not favoured by Loon Lake stakeholders D R Meets the screening criteria AF T Alternative Route Segment Around Loon Lake Shortest route Smallest area of the ROW that overlaps with potential aggregate resources Smallest area of mapped water bodies (not including watercourses) in the ROW Least number of mapped water bodies crossed by the ROW Largest area of the ROW with previous logging disturbance Least number of roads crossed by the ROW Least number of transmission line corners Least number of transmission line crossovers Preferred by Loon Lake stakeholders Preliminary Preferred Route Segment Screening Criteria Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 4 Previously confirmed to meet the screening criteria (NextBridge 2015; Appendix 3-I-C) ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT 5. CONCLUSION The assessment of alternative route segments around Loon Lake resulted in the identification of a preferred alternative route segment in this area. The preferred alternative route segment around Loon Lake is the alternative route segment identified by Loon Lake stakeholders as the preferred alternative, with minor refinements to improve constructability. This alternative route segment is the shortest route segment, has the smallest area of overlap with potential aggregate resources, has the smallest area of overlap with mapped water bodies (not including watercourses), has the largest area of overlap with previous logging disturbance, crosses the least number of roads, requires the least number of transmission line corners, requires the least number of transmission line crossovers, and has the most advantages when compared to the preliminary preferred route. D R AF T Incorporation of this alternative route segment into the preferred route represents a local route refinement from the preliminary preferred route. The preferred route, including this local route refinement, is assessed in the EA Report. Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 5 ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT REFERENCES Heid, J. 2004. Greenfield Development Without Sprawl: The Role of Planned Communities. Available from: http://ww.uli.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/ 07/GreenfieldDev.ashx_.pdf. Last accessed in 2015. MOECC (Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change). 2014. Code of Practice: Preparing and Reviewing Terms of Reference for Environmental Assessments in Ontario. Revision 2. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. 97 pp. D R AF T NextBridge (NextBridge Infrastructure LP). 2015. NextBridge Infrastructure L.P. Draft Alternative Route Assessment for the East-West Tie Transmission Project. December 2015. Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 6 AF APPENDIX A T ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT D R Loon Lake Alternative Route Segments Figure Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 T AF R D 345000 350000 355000 360000 365000 370000 375000 380000 385000 390000 5410000 340000 5410000 335000 CAVERN LAKE PROVINCIAL NATURE RESERVE 5405000 Project Component Preferred Route Transmission Line 340000 Route Alternative Alternative Route Segment Around Loon Lake Preliminary Preferred Route 345000 Base Data 350000 355000 ! JAMES BAY O N TA R I O Transmission Line Conservation Authority Provincial Park National Marine Conservation Area THUNDER BAY LAKE SUPERIOR U. S. A. 370000 ³ 5400000 A H W 5395000 AY LAKE SUPERIOR NATIONAL MARINE CONSERVATION AREA 5390000 AD 0 DRAFT 2,000 4,000 380000 6,000 METRES 1:150,000 385000 390000 REFERENCE(S) BASE DATA: MNRF LIO (2016), CANVEC (2016), DILLON (2014, 2015) PROJECT COMPONENTS: PROVIDED BY NEXTBRIDGE (OCTOBER 19, 2016) PRODUCED BY GOLDER ASSOCATES LTD. UNDER LICENSE FROM ONTARIO MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES, © QUEENS PRINTER 2016 PROJECTION: TRANSVERSE MERCATOR DATUM: NAD 83 COORDINATE SYSTEM: UTM ZONE 16N PROJECT EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT WAWA ( ! GEORGIAN BAY LAKE MICHIGAN 375000 CLIENT MARATHON ( ! ( ! Water Body AN AN IG 5385000 365000 KEY MAP Highway Local Road TR SC H SLEEPING GIANT PROVINCIAL PARK 360000 Railway LAKEHEAD REGION CONSERVATION AUTHORITY 25mm LEGEND 335000 D R 5390000 5385000 PATH: S:\Clients\NextBridge\East_West_Tie\99_PROJ\1536607_EA\40_PROD\0031_Loon_Lake_Alternative_Routes_Assessment\1536607-0031-G-0001.mxd PRINTED ON: 2016-11-22 AT: 2:02:40 PM 5395000 « ¬ IF THIS MEASUREMENT DOES NOT MATCH WHAT IS SHOWN, THE SHEET SIZE HAS BEEN MODIFIED FROM: ANSI B 527 LAKE HURON YYYY-MM-DD 2016-11-22 DESIGNED GOLDER JR PREPARED GOLDER SK/JB REVIEWED ( ! APPROVED TITLE LOON LAKE ALTERNATIVES PROJECT NO. 1536607 CONTROL REV. A FIGURE 1 0 5400000 AF T 5405000 OUIMET CANYON PROVINCIAL PARK AF T D R This page intentionally left blank AF APPENDIX B T ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ASSESSMENT AROUND LOON LAKE EAST-WEST TIE TRANSMISSION PROJECT D R Alternatives Assessment Criteria and Indicators Table Decem ber 19, 2016 Report No. 1536607/2000/2017 T AF R D APPENDIX B Comparative Evaluation of Alternative Route Segments around Loon Lake Factor Physical Size Indicator 32.2 32.9 Total Length of the ROW not in water bodies (km) 31.8 32.3 Area of the ROW (ha) 193.7 197.7 Area of agricultural fields in the ROW (ha) None identified None identified Private property Number of potential dwellings in the ROW 0 0 Number of settlement areas crossed by the ROW 0 0 Number of Forest Management Units crossed by the ROW 2 2 Area of Conservation Areas in the ROW (ha) 0 0 Area of Conservation Reserves in the ROW (ha) 0 0 Area of Provincial Parks in the ROW (ha) 0 0 Area of National Parks in the ROW (ha) 0 0 Area of mines in the ROW (ha) 0 0 49.3 0.4 Number of mining claims crossed by the ROW 10 1 Area of aggregate pits in the ROW (ha) 0 0 71.9 158.8 Area of mining claims in the ROW (ha) Area of high potential for aggregate resources in the ROW (ha) Community Services None identified None identified Number of hospitals and healthcare facilities crossed by the ROW None identified None identified Number of schools and educational institutions crossed by the ROW None identified None identified Number of community centres crossed by the ROW None identified None identified Number of waste management facilities crossed by ROW 0 0 Number of trails crossed by the ROW 0 0 Number of outpost camps crossed by the ROW D R Aesthetics Area of land designated for commercial and industrial purposes (non-mining) in the ROW (ha) Number of campgrounds crossed by the ROW (ha) Tourism and Recreation Non-Aboriginal Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Traditional Land and Resource Use 0 None identified Number of golf courses crossed by the ROW None identified None identified None identified None identified 17.4 Potential for the entire area of ROW (ha) Number of archaeological sites crossed by the ROW Number of known cemeteries crossed by the ROW Area of traditional land uses/harvest areas identified in the ROW (ha) Length of ROW with archaeological potential (km) Aboriginal Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Traditional Land and Resource Use 0 None identified Number of known public scenic viewpoints crossed by the ROW Length of ROW with archaeological potential (km) Page B-1 Preliminary Preferred Route Soil Land Use SocioEconomic Alternative Route Segment Around Loon Lake Total Length (km) of the ROW AF T General Criteria Number of archaeological sites crossed by the ROW Area of First Nation reserves in the ROW (ha) 0 0 None identified None identified No site-specific information available No site-specific information available 17.4 Potential for the entire area of ROW (ha) 0 0 0 0 Area of traditional land uses/harvest areas identified in the ROW (ha) No site-specific information available No site-specific information available Area of traditional burial grounds in the ROW (ha) No site-specific information available No site-specific information available December 19, 2016 Project No. 1536607/2000/2017 APPENDIX B Comparative Evaluation of Alternative Route Segments around Loon Lake Factor Criteria Indicator Métis mobility in the ROW SocioEconomic (cont’d) Harvesting Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest Wetlands No data available No data available No site-specific information available No site-specific information available Spiritual connection to areas in the ROW No site-specific information available No site-specific information available Type of harvesting activities exercised in the ROW No site-specific information available No site-specific information available Key cultural species harvested in the ROW No site-specific information available No site-specific information available Conditions required for continued harvest in the ROW No site-specific information available No site-specific information available Area of mapped Provincially Significant Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (Earth Science and Life Science) in the ROW (ha) 0 0 Area of mapped Candidate Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (Earth Science and Life Science) in the ROW (ha) 0 0 Area of mapped Provincially Significant Wetlands in the ROW (ha) 0 0 Area of mapped previously evaluated non-provincially significant wetlands in the ROW (ha) Area of mapped unevaluated wetlands in the ROW (ha) Natural Water Bodies and Watercourses Species at Risk Community Infrastructure 24 22 2.7 2.9 Area of previously logged lands in the ROW (ha) Area of seed collection lands in the ROW (ha) Area of mapped potential significant wildlife habitat in the ROW (ha) Number of mapped nesting sites crossed by the ROW Area of mapped Woodland Caribou continuous habitat in the ROW (ha) None identified None identified 93.7 24.6 None identified None identified 0 0 0 0 21 23 Number of rail lines crossed by the ROW 1 1 Number of pipelines crossed by the ROW Number of transmission line corners required Number of transmission line crossovers required Distance of existing access roads available (low, medium, high) Distance of new access roads required (low, medium, high) Page B-2 11 17.0 Number of roads crossed by the ROW Area of hazard (unstable) land crossed by the proposed ROW (ha) Constructability 9 66.9 Area of mapped Woodland Caribou discontinuous habitat in the ROW (ha) Number of local airports crossed by the ROW Technical 0 9.6 Area of mapped water bodies (not including watercourses) in the ROW (ha) D R Wildlife Habitat 0 12.6 Number of mapped watercourses crossed by the ROW Number of mapped water bodies crossed by the ROW Forest Resources Preliminary Preferred Route Types of teaching/ transmission programs, services and practices in the ROW AF T Way of Life Alternative Route Segment Around Loon Lake 0 0 None identified None identified Information not available Information not available 3 8 0 1 Low Low Low Low Terrain (poor, moderate, favourable) Moderate Moderate Sufficient work space (poor, moderate, good) Moderate Moderate December 19, 2016 Project No. 1536607/2000/2017 T AF R D R AF T . 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