Rick Talvite of TSH Engineers responds to Manary letter

The following is the full text of a letter sent by Rick Talvite of TSH Engineers, in response to concerns expressed by Douglas and Jennifer Manary of 748 Base Line:

**************************************************************** Totten Sims Hubicki Associates 523 Wellington Street East, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada P6A 2M4 (705)942-2612 Fax:(705)942-3642 E-mail:[email protected] www.tsh.ca

January 13, 2003

Douglas and Jennifer Manary 748 Base Line - RR1 Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 5K6

Dear Douglas and Jennifer Manary,

RE: City of Sault Ste. Marie Servicing of Industrial Lands - Class Environmental Assessment Site 1B - Intersection of Base Line Road and Leigh's Bay Road

Totten Sims Hubicki Associates (TSH) together with Wm. R. Walker Engineering Inc. were retained by the City of Sault Ste. Marie to undertake a Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) to develop and assess alternatives for providing access and suitable servicing to support future industrial development on a vacant industrial zoned property in the City's west end.

Site 1B is located immediately south of Baseline Road and immediately east of Leigh's Bay Road.

Under the Class EA process it is mandatory to consult with the public and relevant review agencies.

A pubic open house was conducted on July 18, 2002 to provide an opportunity for agencies, area residents and the general public to review and comment on the alternative solutions being considered.

We would like to thank you for participating in the Class EA process and this letter has been prepared to address various issues/concerns that were identified by several area residents.

The key issues raised are as follows:

1. The quantity and quality of well water may be adversely impacted by the proposed construction activity.

2. Excessive noise and vibration may be generated by rail traffic accessing the subject site.

3. Baseline Rd. "A" may be subjected to increased traffic volumes during the construction period.

In order to address the concerns raised a number of additional studies were undertaken to identify the potential impacts to area residents.

Each of the issues noted above is addressed in the following subsections.

Well Water Quantity and Quality

Hydroterra Limited was retained to complete a hydrogeologic evaluation in the vicinity of Site 1B.

The study was undertaken to assess the potential impacts of the servicing and road construction activities to the ground water regime.

This investigation concluded that if the proposed service installations (ie: watermains and sewers) do not extend into the underlying sandstone there is not expected to be any adverse impact on the groundwater quantity or quality for the surrounding residences.

In the event the services are installed at a depth that extends into the sandstone bedrock Hydroterra has recommended that "plugs" be incorporated into the service trench to prevent the flow of water through the trench.

The plugs will essentially prevent the "draining" of groundwater through the conduits created by the service trenches.

Based on the results of the hydrogeologic analysis the approach that will be taken in identifying a preferred alignment for the services will include consideration of the bedrock depth.

Every effort will be made to avoid the bedrock. In the event that the bedrock cannot be avoided then the "plugs" recommended by Hydroterra will be installed in the service trench.

In addition to the foregoing a monitoring program will also be developed and implemented which will include well testing prior to and following construction to identify any impacts to area wells.

Noise

Additional noise will be generated during the construction phase. The construction related noise will span a relatively short period of time and the contractor will be restricted to operating during daylight hours and will also be required to maintain properly muffled equipment.

Additional noise will also be generated by the future on-site development activities.

The noise related to the development will include noise from the additional vehicular and possibly rail traffic accessing the site together with noise related to the on-site industrial operations.

Aercoustics Engineering Limited (AEL) was retained to conduct a noise impact study to identify the potential impact to area residents from noise generated by rail traffic and increased vehicular traffic accessing Site l(b).

The noise that will be generated by future on-site industrial operations was excluded from the study as the future land use is presently unknown.

The noise generated by the future land use will be subject to City and possibly Ministry of Environment (MOE) scrutiny.

Through the noise impact study it was determined that the traffic related noise levels at the residences closest to Site 1B will remain at an acceptable level after the implementation of the proposed development.

Routing of Traffic During Construction

The need for a detour during construction has not yet been determined. The construction contract will however include a stipulated completion date with penalties for late completion to minimize the length of time for any road closures.

In the event that the closure of Baseline Road is required, consideration will be given to using other routes in lieu of Baseline Road A for detouring of traffic.

In the event that Baseline Road A is subjected to increased traffic volumes during construction the level of maintenance will be increased to reduce dust nuisance.

We hope that we have satisfactorily addressed your concerns. In the event that you have farther questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.

Rick Falvitie, P. Eng.

cc: B. Wierzbicki, City of Sault Ste. Marie Planning