At a Committee of the Whole meeting today, District of Squamish staff will provide council an update about a FortisBC’s Temporary Use Permit application for a construction yard located northeast of Valleycliffe, on a triangular lot owned by Squamish Nation.
The proposed yard will be approximately 10.5 acres in size, with an additional 2.6 acres on the east side of Powerhouse Springs Road to be used as parking. Construction on the yard is planned for early 2023 and will be active throughout the entire gas-line development project, though the yard will shut down in winter.
The yard will include a marshaling area for construction crews, temporary offices for the Project Management team, warehousing and storage for project materials and equipment, vehicle and equipment refueling, and waste management.
The yard will be active six days a week (Monday to Saturday) from 7 am to 7 pm. The applicant is planning to connect to a District-owned above-ground power line to supply electricity to the yard, though discussions are still ongoing on this. Potable water will be trucked in and the site will be supplied with weatherproof and wildlife resistant containers for the recycling and garbage collections stations on site.
According to FortisBC, noise levels will be at their highest at the start and end of each work shift due to vehicle movement, and more noise can be expected during the two-month period of site clearing and grading. If the application is successful, Fortis will be required to provide noise surveys on a regular basis to monitor noise levels. The company is also planning dust abatement in the area.
