Parks Canada Agency Connaught East Waterway Restructure

Jasper National Park experienced a significant rainfall event in June 2023, resulting in flood conditions in the Cottonwood Creek channel, along the eastern edge of the townsite of Jasper. The high-water event resulted in erosion of the creek bed and bank, causing destabilization and partial failure of the roadbed next to the creek. Flows have since subsided to normal rates and Parks Canada intends to repair the damaged portions of the road bed and bank. The work is proposed in three locations along the impacted portion of the creek.

Area 1: road failure site (previously disturbed and channelized) – Install stream isolation, perform fish salvage, and dewater the worksite. Remove jersey barriers and pavement that collapsed into the creek when the road failed. Remove clean boulders that were placed temporarily during flood event. The eroded base of the end lock blocks from the current wall would be rebuilt as well as the base for new blocks will be built using 3/4" crush with backhoe and compaction device. The block wall will be extended to meet the uneroded bank upstream and the space behind the blocks under the road will be backfilled with clean fill material of 2" minus sourced from inside the park. The creek isolation will be removed once instream work is complete. The damaged road bed will be rebuilt, and asphalt paved.

Area 2: culvert inlet - Class I round rock along backslope of road above culvert will be added where it was washed out. Rock work will be mostly above the high-water mark and will not interfere with the streambed or natural banks.

Area 3: culvert outlet – Install stream isolation, perform fish salvage, and dewater the worksite. Once the area is dewatered, the culvert will be cleared of accumulated sediment, maintaining the midsized cobble bed. This will be done with a back hoe and by hand. Washed rock sourced from within the park will be installed along the sides of the culvert against the road backslope with a back hoe operating from the road surface. Additional rock rip rap will be placed above the ordinary high-water mark across from the outlet, where the bank was previously armoured. Riparian vegetation will be maintained.

This project falls outside of the scope of the Roads and Related Infrastructure PRIA. This PRIA does not apply to projects that require authorization under the Fisheries Act. A request for review will be sent to Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program Office. The BIA pathway is the suitable level of assessment to determine if the project is likely to cause significant residual environmental effects.

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Latest update

October 14, 2023 – The public comment period on the project is closed. Parks Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are considering comments received to help inform its determination on whether the carrying out of the project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

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Contacts

Jasper National Park
Box 10
Jasper, Alberta T0E 1E0
Telephone: 780-852-6141
Email: evaluationdimpactjasper-jasperimpactassessment@pc.gc.ca


  • Location

    • Jasper National Park (Alberta)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Highways and Roads

  • Assessment Status

    In progress

  • Start Date

    2023-09-14

  • Proponent

    Parks Canada

  • Authorities

    • Fisheries and Oceans Canada
    • Parks Canada Agency

  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference Number

    85913
Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

 

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...within 200 kilometres
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