Regions: Gwich'in Settlement Area
Tags: geology, soil, stratigraphy, engineering, industrial development, geotechnology, land use
| Principal Investigator: | Hawkins, Jim R. (10) |
| Licence Number: | 14121 |
| Organization: | Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Limited |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2007
|
| Issued: | Mar 01, 2007 |
| Project Team: | General Contractor (clearing and maintaining access and sites , Contractor - TBD), Geotechnical Consultant (directing all technical aspects of Program, Contractor - TBD), Geophysical Surveyor (executing geophysical surveys, Contractor - TBD), Topographic Surveyor (locating access and investigation sites, Contractor - TBD), Emergency Medical Technician (provide first aid & determine medical needs, Contractor - TBD), Field Operations Manager (responsible for implementing the Program, Imperial), Field Superintendent (responsible for supervising all field activities, Imperial), Project Engineer (direct Geotech Consultant and Geophysical Surveyor, Imperial), Safety Advisor (ensure safety procedures are followed, Contractor - TBD), Environmental Field Staff (ensure enviornmental requirements are met, Contractor - TBD), Environmental Monitor (a community rep providing input on environment , Contractor - TBD), Wildlife Monitor (providing wildlife encounter management, Contractor - TBD) |
Objective(s): The objective of the field program is to conduct geotechnical investigations on soil and ground conditions at the site of the proposed Inuvik Area Facility (IAF) and along the route of the all-weather road connecting the IAF to the Dempster Highway, in order to design foundations and roads, and for subsequent applications.
Project Description: The objective of the field program is to conduct geotechnical investigations on soil and ground conditions at the site of the proposed Inuvik Area Facility (IAF) and along the route of the all-weather road connecting the IAF to the Dempster Highway, in order to design foundations and roads, and for subsequent applications. In order to complete the fieldwork before the spring thaw, an access road from the Dempster Highway to the location of the proposed Inuvik Area Facility (IAF) will be established. The field investigation will be undertaken by tracked drilling rigs and backhoes. A maximum of 44 boreholes or test pits will be drilled or excavated, including 24 at the proposed IAF and 20 along the IAF access road. Heavy equipment will be used in the drilling operation. Care will be taken to reduce disturbance to stream banks and vegetation. Geotechnical drilling rigs are specialized for shallow-hole drilling and have the ability to recover soil samples. Auger drill rigs will be used where the ground is frozen but does not contain bedrock or boulders. Hollow stem augers will sample in frozen silts and clays with specialty core samplers. An area of up to 10m x 10m is cleared of vegetation to drill each borehole. Air rotary drill rigs will be used where bedrock or boulders are encountered. Neither method requires drilling fluids. Boreholes will be backfilled to ground level. Backhoes will be used to excavate test pits (5m x 5m x 5m) to obtain stratigraphic information and bulk samples, within a disturbed area of 25m x 25m. If surficial organic material is present, it will be put aside. Test pits will be backfilled with inorganic materials to the ground surface and the surficial organic material placed on top, forming a crown to allow for subsidence. Imperial Oil will conduct community consultation, utilizing a translator (where necessary), provide weekly reports to authorities, and submit a report to the Aurora Research Institute with copies available in the community. Environmental and wildlife monitors will be hired. The field program will be carried out from March 15 to April 15, 2007.
