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Riverkeeper recommends best option for Petitcodiac
Solution selected will restore maximum river width and save $53
million
(Moncton – October 25, 2005)
– The Riverkeeper organization has come out in favour of
a middle-of-the-road solution to the problems of the ailing Petitcodiac
River.
“We have read the comprehensive
(2,386 pages) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report on
the river’s future,” says Riverkeeper Daniel LeBlanc.
“We have taken part in the day-long public information session
organized in Riverview this past Saturday. And we have concluded
that Option 4B from the EIA Report offers the best value for the
money.”
Option 4B, at a cost of $54.6 million,
is predicted to achieve an impressive 82 percent restoration of
the river channel within 10 – 20 years (43 percent has been
lost to date as a result of siltation and the headpond). Yet,
it will cost only half as much as the most expensive option presented
in the EIA Report.
“This solution will allow the restoration
of the river and tidal bore to their maximum potential, reduce
the risk of flooding to the region and save the public $53 million
in the process”, argues LeBlanc.
The detailed Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) report on the Petitcodiac River was released two weeks ago.
It recommends four different options to restore fish passage at
the Petitcodiac causeway, all of which consist of permanently
opening the causeway over different lengths and at costs ranging
between $34 million and $107 million.
The Report predicts that, whichever option
is chosen, the costs will be almost entirely offset by avoidance
of future avoided costs to maintain the Status Quo (operation
and maintenance of the gate structure, flood protection, damage,
or property insurance costs), and by benefits associated with
the restoration, such as tourism, fisheries and recreation. The
four options are:
• Option 3 ($34 million): removal
of all gates and all but one pier at the location of the existing
gates to provide and opening of 68 m wide. Will achieve the restoration
of 69 percent of the river channel within 10-20 years;
• Option 4A ($42 million): construction
of a 170 m long bridge downstream from the existing gates and
the removal of the entire gate structure to provide an opening
of 72 m. Will also achieve the restoration of 69 percent of the
river channel within 10-20 years;
• Option 4B ($54.6 million) involves
a new bridge, 280 m long downstream of the existing gates that
would afford a range of potential openings from 72 to 225 m. This
option would achieve the restoration of 82 percent of the river
channel within 10-20 years;
• Option 4C ($107 million) involves
a 280 m long bridge in the central portion of the causeway, providing
a river channel width of 225 m. This option would also achieve
the restoration of 82 percent of the river channel within 10-20
years.
In its assessment, Petitcodiac Riverkeeper
identifies ten important reasons why it recommends Option 4B.
According to the EIA Report, Option 4B will:
1. Restore the maximum tidal prism of
the river, enabling the channel to be wider and deeper both in
the river and the former headpond, bringing it as close as possible
to the pre-causeway environment;
2. Restore the tidal bore to its maximum potential;
3. Improve river access throughout the river system;
4. Improve navigation in the river with a wider opening at the
causeway, enabling larger recreational vessels to travel in the
river at high tide;
5. Generate more economic benefits for the region (improved tourism
revenues from the tidal bore, navigation and improved capital
benefits for the construction phase as compared with the cheaper
options);
6. Improve drainage conditions and reduce the risks and costs
of flooding;
7. Offer the most adaptable solution to deal with the effects
of sea level rise brought about by global warming in the next
100 years;
8. Avoid traffic interruptions associated with the construction
phase (Option 3 will require traffic patterns to be altered for
two seasons);
9. Achieve the same ecological and socio-economic benefits offered
by Option 4C;
10. Save $53 million.
Petitcodiac Riverkeeper is very pleased
with the thoroughness of the $4 million EIA Report prepared by
the Province of New Brunswick in collaboration with the federal
government. Especially important is the fact that the Report identifies
no negative environmental effects of restoring the Petitcodiac
River but does predict many negative, and at times significant
effects if the Status Quo were to be maintained.
The EIA report demonstrates multiple
negative impacts of the Status Quo, including:
• The continued loss of fish passage at the Petitcodiac
causeway,
• The extirpation of more fish species from the Petitcodiac
River system,
• The continued siltation of the river at an enormous rate
of 2 million m2/year,
• The elevated costs and risks associated with flooding,
• The loss of the tidal bore,
• and the continued decline of water quality above and below
the causeway.
Petitcodiac Riverkeeper encourages
the public to consult the results of the study online (www.petitcodiac.com)
and to let their government representatives know about the importance
of following through on their promises to quickly implement the
EIA recommendations.
Please
send comments in support of EIA
INFORMATION :
Daniel LeBlanc Tel. (506) 388-5337
info@petitcodiac.org
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