Public Comment Period on Intent to Make a Determination
Road Realignment and Culvert Installation – 3rd Canadian Division Support Group (CDSG), Detachment British Columbia Mainland - Chilliwack

July 28, 2022 — The Department of National Defence must decide whether the proposed project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this decision, the Department of National Defence is inviting comments from the public on the project and its potential effects on the environment. All comments received will be considered public. For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.

Written comments must be submitted by August 16, 2022 to:
Gary Leblanc, Requirement Officer
Mailing Address:  #6-5535 Korea Road
Chilliwack, BC, V2R 5P2
E-mail:  Gary.LeBlanc@forces.gc.ca

The Proposed Project

The Department of National Defence (DND) has proposed a project which involves the realignment of roads, and installation of culverts. In recent years the Chilcotin area has seen large amounts of precipitation, and the lakes and wetlands are higher than they have been historically. This has caused flooding in several low lying sections of roads. Rather than attempting to maintain a road through a wetted area, roads will be realigned around these low areas. The project will involve road realignment in three different areas, and installation of culverts. At Drummond Lake on Stack Valley Road, a 260 meter section with a running width of 6 meters will be created to the east of the current road. At Horse Road between 9 and 10 kilometers (south of Lost Lake), the realignment will be 795 meters long with a running width of 6 meters. This section will be to the east of the original road, following a ridge that was logged after the 2010 fire and has exiting disturbance.

On Deer Trail (near Shell Creek), the new section will be 670 meters long, 5 meters wide, and involve installation of 4 culverts. One of these will be on a stream and will be larger than the others. With the realignment at Deer Trail, the existing culvert will need to be removed. Some restoration may be required at the creek. These realignments are intended to be permanent and are part of the long term required road infrastructure. There is an area that has been assessed for gravel development on Stack Valley Road and available pits. Any development of gravel source on Horse Road will follow the provincial standards.