District of Squamish grants noise exemption for FortisBC pipeline

The District of Squamish has issued a noise exemption permit to allow 24-hour work on the tunnel associated with FortisBC’s Eagle Mountain – Woodfibre Gas Pipeline project.

According to a news release, the District issued the permit to FortisBC’s contractor, Frontier-Kemper Michels (FKM), largely for safety reasons, once the tunnel boring machines are in operation. The local tunnel construction site is a BC Rail property located on Government Road, which will tunnel underneath the Squamish Estuary to Woodfibre LNG.

“The exemption was requested by FKM to allow the tunnel boring machines to operate continuously to maintain safety through construction,” reads the release. “The exemption permit conditions require implementation of various noise mitigation measures to minimize disturbance and inconvenience to neighbouring residents, and provision of a resident complaint process.”

In a response to a question about the necessity for 24-hour work, FortisBC replied on its website, “These tunnel boring machines will be 25 [to] 30 metres below the surface and once we start drilling, we need to keep drilling to continue to support the tunnel. The machines need to keep boring and moving to prevent getting stuck. If they did, that may result in negative environmental impact as we would need to safely retrieve the machines and begin boring again.”

Moreover, FortisBC said residents “can expect noise to stay at current levels, or even lower” and has taken steps to mitigate noise including sound-reducing equipment and barriers, designated access and trucking routes, and noise sensitivity training at orientation.

The company said once the 24-hour work begins, it expects the work to continue until 2026.

In a separate Q&A about the noise exemption, the District said trucking will only be allowed until 8 p.m. Other mitigation includes taking advantage of noise dampening from existing buildings, avoiding engine braking, turning off equipment not in use, using ambient noise back up alarms on vehicles, and reducing drop heights of material.

FortisBC said noise complaints can be addressed by emailing [email protected] or calling 1-855-380-5784. The District also noted residents may call bylaw at 604-815-5067.

District council members receive regular updates about this project as well as the work at the Woodfibre LNG site.. View the most recent memo from the Dec. 19 regular business meeting.