Project Update

This is to advise that on May 5, 2021, Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corporation has withdrawn the Replacement Effluent Treatment Plant Project from the environmental assessment process.

Description

This is to advise that on October 2, 2019, Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corporation (Northern Pulp) submitted the Focus Report for the Replacement Effluent Treatment Facility Project for environmental assessment, in accordance with Part IV of the Environment Act.

The Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corporation Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft pulp mill is located at Abercrombie Point adjacent to Pictou Harbour in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. The proposed project will consist of the development of a new effluent (wastewater) treatment facility (ETF) constructed on Northern Pulp property, and a transmission pipeline that will carry treated effluent overland and in the marine environment and discharge via an engineered diffuser (marine outfall).

The new ETF will employ the AnoxKaldnes BAS™ Biological Activated Sludge process purchased from Veolia Water Technologies, which combines Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) technology with conventional activated sludge. Once treated onsite at Northern Pulp's facility, effluent will be sent through an approximately 15 km long pipeline. The pipeline will enter the south side of Pictou Harbour and make landfall on the north side of the harbour roughly following Highway 106 right-of-way to Caribou, and then re-enters the marine environment adjacent to the Northumberland Ferries marine terminal and continues for approximately 4.0 km through Caribou Harbour to the Northumberland Strait, terminating at an engineered marine outfall.

Please note: In Table 6.1 on Page 33 of Appendix 6.2 - Updated Air Dispersion Model there was a typo in the unit of measurement. The typo has been corrected to clarify that the units for the Dioxin and Furans ambient air quality criteria and predicted concentration results are in picograms of toxic equivalent (TEQ) per cubic meter (pg TEQ/m3).

Minister's Decision

On December 17, 2019, the Minister of Environment determined that an Environmental Assessment Report is appropriate, pursuant to Section 18(b) of the Environmental Assessment Regulations.

Terms of Reference

On April 28, 2020, the Environmental Assessment Branch released the Final Terms of Reference.

• Final Terms of Reference (PDF:375k)

Draft Terms of Reference

On Jan. 8, 2020, Department of Environment and Climate Change released draft terms of reference for public comment. The public comment period closed on Feb. 7, 2020.

• Draft Terms of Reference (PDF:621k)
• Public Notice (PDF:93k)

Project Documents

• Minister's Decision (PDF:121k)
• Focus Report Terms of Reference (PDF:630k)

Comments Received on Focus Report:

• Document of all submissions - 6,221 pages (PDF:564.9mb)

• Breakdown of submissions:
• Government submissions - 164 pages (PDF:24.9mb)
• Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq submission - 73 pages (PDF:11.6mb)
• Group submissions from: - 710 pages (PDF:87.5mb)
• EcoJustice and Friends of the Northumberland Strait
• Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board, PEI Fishermen’s Association, and Maritime Fishermen’s Union
• Gulf of Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board
• Northumberland Strait Sportfishing Association
• UNIFOR
• Atlantic Chamber of Commerce
• Save our Seas and Shores
• Caribou Harbour Authority
• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 73
• Atlantic Salmon Federation & Nova Scotia Salmon Association
• Forest Nova Scotia
• KARIOS Halifax
• Canadian Woodlands Forum
• Truro Colchester Chamber of Commerce
• United Association Local 244
• Citizen Action to Protect the Environment (CAPE)
• Guysborough County Inshore Fishermen’s Association
• Oceans North
• Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association
• Canoe Kayak Nova Scotia
• Gulf Nova Scotia Herring Federation
• Nova Scotia Landowners and Forest Fibre Producers Association
• Nova Scotia Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (SPAWS-NS)
• Ecology Action Centre
• East Coast Environmental Law Association
• Individual Public Submissions – Part 1 of 5 – October 3 to 31 - 915 pages (PDF:29mb)
• Individual Public Submissions – Part 2 of 5 – November 1 - 1,326 pages (PDF:7.6mb)
• Individual Public Submissions – Part 3 of 5 – November 2 to 6 -1,508 pages (PDF:224.5mb)
• Individual Public Submissions – Part 4 of 5 – November 7 -574 pages (PDF:99.5mb)
• Individual Public Submissions – Part 5 of 5 – November 8 - 1,658 pages (PDF:172.8mb)

Focus Report

• Focus-Report (PDF:18.1mb)
• Appendix 0 - Impacts and Mitigation (PDF:342k)
• Appendix 1.1 - Concordence Table (PDF:599k)
• Appendix 1.2 - Engagement Plan (PDF:244k)
• Appendix 2.1 - On-Land Pipeline Info (PDF:3.8mb)
• Appendix 2.2 - Marine Geotechnical Survey (PDF:102.2mb)
• Appendix 2.3 - Characterization of Effluent (PDF:173.7mb)
• Appendix 2.4 - Treated Effleunt Characterization (PDF:2.8mb)
• Appendix 2.5 - Changes to Pipeline (PDF:5.7mb)
• Appendix 3.1 - Treatment Technology Specifications (PDF:680k)
• Appendix 3.2 - Effluent Flow Data (PDF:845k)
• Appendix 3.3 - Effluent Discharge Parameters (PDF:2k)
• Appendix 3.4 - Spill Basin (PDF:491k)
• Appendix 3.5 - Effluent Pipeline Leak Detection (PDF:6k)
• Appendix 3.6 - Dangerous Goods (PDF:399k)
• Appendix 4.1 - Baseline Marine Studies (PDF:22.5mb)
• Appendix 4.2 - Receiving Water Study (PDF:73.4mb)
• Appendix 4.3 - Sediment Transport Modeling (PDF:3.6mb)
• Appendix 5.1 - Wetland Baseline Survey (PDF:14.1mb)
• Appendix 5.2 - Monitoring Methodologies (PDF:6k)
• Appendix 6.1 - Revised Air Contaminants (PDF:6k)
• Appendix 6.2 - Updated Air Dispersion Model (PDF:17.3mb)
• Table 6.1 – Summary of Maximum Predicted GLCs from the Operation of the Project – Revised October 28th, 2019 (Updated) (PDF:116k)
• Appendix 6.3 - Updated Air Monitoring Plan (PDF:1mb)
• Appendix 7.1 - Fish Habitat Survey (PDF:7.7mb)
• Appendix 7.2 - Fish Habitat Baseline Survey (PDF:19.8mb)
• Appendix 7.3 - Impact Assessment Marine Fish (PDF:5.2mb)
• Appendix 7.4 - Environmental Effects Monitoring Program (PDF:158k)
• Appendix 7.5 - Contingency Measures (PDF:6k)
• Appendix 8.1 - Plant Baseline Survey (PDF:2.3mb)
• Appendix 8.2 - Migratory Bird Survey (PDF:745k)
• Appendix 8.3 - Bird Baseline Survey Survey (PDF:961k)
• Appendix 8.4 - Herptile Survey (PDF:527k)
• Appendix 9.1 - Baseline Study Marine Species (PDF:1.1mb)
• Appendix 9.2 - Human Health Risk Assessment (PDF:3.4mb)
• Appendix 10.1 - Archaeological Resource Impact Assessment (PDF:59k)
• Appendix 10.2 - Shovel Testing Areas (PDF:581k)
• Appendix 11.1 - Mi'kmaq Ecological Knowledge Study (PDF:219k)
• Addendum 1.0 - New Technology at Mill (PDF:557k)
• Addendum 2.0 - Effluent Discharge Parameters (PDF:278k)
• Addendum 3.0 - Receiving Water Study (PDF:8.1mb)
• Addendum 4.0 - Environmental Effects Monitoring Updates (PDF:6k)

Registration Documents

• Minister's Decision (PDF:191k)

Comments Received on the Registration Document:

• Document of all submissions - 4,423 pages  (PDF:138.4mb)
• Breakdown of the submissions received:
• Government submissions  (PDF:9.8mb)
• Pictou Landing First Nation submissions  (PDF:3.4mb)
• Group submissions from:  (PDF:5.3mb)
  • Clean Ocean Action Committee
  • Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
  • Ecology Action Centre
  • Forest Nova Scotia
  • Harbour Authority of Caribou
  • Nova Scotia Salmon Association and Atlantic Salmon Federation
  • Save our Seas and Shores Coalition
  • Shore Nova Scotia Chapter, Council of Canadians
  • Sierra Club Canada Foundation
  • Tourism Industry Association of NS
  • UA Local 244
  • UNIFOR
• EcoJustice submission A – part 1  (PDF:10.5mb)
• EcoJustice submission A – part 2  (PDF:16.2mb)
• EcoJustice submission B – part 1  (PDF:17.2mb)
• EcoJustice submission B – part 2  (PDF:32.4mb)
• Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board and Fishermen's Working Group submissions  (PDF:24.1mb)
• Individual public submissions – part 1 (Feb. 7 – Mar. 4, 2019)  (PDF:17.2mb)
• Individual public submissions – part 2 (Mar. 4 – Mar. 9, 2019)  (PDF:25.4mb)

Registration Document

• Registration Document – Section 1-7 (PDF:4.3mb)
• Registration Document – Section 8 (PDF:9.4mb)
• Registration Document – Section 9 - 15 (PDF:1.2mb)
• Appendix A - D (PDF:2.5mb)
• Appendix E1 - E2 (PDF:6.3mb)
• Appendix E3 (PDF:8.8mb)
• Appendix F – H (PDF:3.1mb)
• Appendix I1 – I2 (PDF:3mb)
• Appendix I3 (PDF:4.4mb)
• Appendix I4 (PDF:6.5mb)
• Appendix J1(part 1) (PDF:6.9mb)
• Appendix J1(part 2) (PDF:9.5mb)
• Appendix J2 – K1(part 1) (PDF:5.9mb)
• Appendix K1(part 2) – K2 (PDF:7.5mb)
• Appendix L (PDF:3.9mb)
• Appendix M – N (PDF:5.4mb)
• Appendix O - R (PDF:6.9mb)

Opportunities for Public Input

Public comments on the Draft Terms of Reference for the Preparation of an Environmental Assessment Report were accepted until February 7, 2020.

Comments online

Comments^* were submitted via our online consultation form.

In writing

The public is invited to submit written comments* to:

Environmental Assessment Branch
Department of Environment and Climate Change
P.O. Box 442
Halifax, NS, B3J 2P8
Fax: (902) 424-6925

* Only those comments related to specifics of the Terms of Reference will be used to inform the finalization of the Terms of Reference through this process. As required by the Environmental Assessment Regulations, the company must be advised of comments received through this process.

Comments received from the public consultation will be posted on the department’s website for public viewing after the terms of reference is finalized. In the case of an individual, the address, email and contact information will be removed before being placed on the website. By submitting your comments, you are consenting to the posting of your comments on the department’s website.

For questions related to the EA process, please contact us

E-mail: EA@novascotia.ca