NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: physical sciences, geotechnical survey, drilling, energy security

Objective(s): To collect geotechnical and geophysical data to further advance the Inuvialuit Energy Security Project.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5217. The objective of the fieldwork is to collect geotechnical and geophysical data to further advance the Inuvialuit Energy Security Project (IESP). The engineering design for the IESP Energy Facility has advanced to the point of identifying two preferred locations for the Energy Facility. Both locations are within the project study area previously approved by the Environmental Impact Screening Committee (EISC) for the IESP and near the M-18 well. The study area is located entirely within Inuvialuit Private 7(1)(a) Lands, west of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway (ITH), and approximately 16 km south of Tuktoyaktuk. The proposed 2022 geotechnical investigation program builds upon previous geotechnical research in the area carried out in March 2020 and will utilize the existing winter access trail just built this winter for the M-18 sump remediation project. The proposed 2022 geotechnical investigation program will be undertaken using the same methods as those successfully used to complete the geotechnical investigation in the study area in 2020 and earlier investigations in 2017 along the ITH, at Gunghi Creek, and Northwest Territories Geological Survey (NTGS) research sites alongside the ITH. The field program will require about 10 people, as follows: one geotechnical engineer; three people with the drill rig (sub-contracted); one person operating the geophysics equipment; one wildlife monitor, and one Inuvialuit Lands Administration (ILA) environmental monitor. There will be an opportunity for one or two extra people to assist and learn with the field programs. Local Inuvialuit businesses will be contracted to provide additional help with logistics, accommodations, and local supplies. The proposed geotechnical investigation includes drilling 10 to 15 boreholes within 75 to 200 meters of the M-18 well to depths of 20 m and installing two ground temperature cables. The work would be undertaken during freeze conditions and before spring freshet and bird migrations this spring. Our goal is to undertake the studies in March 2022. The field program is expected to take 2 to 3 weeks to complete. The geotechnical investigation will utilize a mobile auger drilling rig, specialized for Arctic permafrost drilling, as has been successfully used for the previously mentioned investigations. The proposed auger drill is equipped with 150 mm (6”) diameter solid stem augers, 100 mm (4”) diameter cold regions research engineering laboratory (CRREL) barrels, and 50 mm (2”) diameter standard penetration testing (SPT) tube samplers. All auger/drill cuttings will be frozen. Drill cutting samples will be collected, logged in the field, and sent to Yellowknife or Whitehorse for geotechnical lab testing. The Research team propose to install 2 to 3 ground temperature cables (GTCs) (also referred to as thermistor strings) in 2 to 3 boreholes to collect ground temperature data for the design of the facility and long-term monitoring. The ground temperature data collected from the installations will be used to determine ground temperature profiles, active layer thicknesses, and mean annual ground temperatures, like those already installed along the access road and at the M-18 sump. The data will complement the ground temperature data collected to date and further improve the team’s knowledge of the ground thermal regime of the IESP Area. To accommodate the ground temperature cables, a 25 mm diameter polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe will be installed in each borehole, and a protective surface casing will be placed around the PVC pipe to protect the instrumentation. Successful installation of ground temperature cables was done for the March 2020 geotechnical borehole investigation and the 2022 sump remediation. To supplement the borehole drilling, Inuvialuit Petroleum Corporation is considering non-intrusive geophysical methods to help develop a better understanding of the variability of subsurface ground ice conditions (permafrost features such as ice wedges) and stratigraphy. Two non-intrusive geophysical methods are being considered: towed capacitively coupled resistivity (CCR) and ground penetrating radar (GPR). CCR and GPR complement each other as CCR is more sensitive to temperature and ice content and GPR is more sensitive to soil grain size. Both techniques can be towed behind a snowmobile for relatively quick data collection in winter conditions. As stated, both methods are non-intrusive (simply pulling a small sled with a snowmobile across the area of interest) and have no impact on the environment. After completing a borehole, the borehole will be backfilled with auger drill cuttings, ensuring downhole bridging does not occur, and any excess cuttings will be mounded over the hole. If supplemental backfill material is required to completely backfill a drill hole, then local material from Borrow Source 177 will be used. All investigation (borehole) sites will be accessed by ground transport along the existing winter trail. All equipment and crews will be transported to and from the site via the ITH and the existing winter trail. Cleanup, closure, and preparation of the temporary winter access road for spring freshet is scheduled for April 2022 as part of the M-18 sump remediation program and will adhere to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Northern Land Use Guidelines, and best practices. The geotechnical field program will not require drilling fluids or water for the auger-based drilling. If water is needed for hard-packing ground surface, the water will be obtained in Tuktoyaktuk and will not require lake water or a water license. The route to the site has already been surveyed and an access trail is constructed and is clear of heritage resources and rare plant species. An archeological impact assessment was carried out this past summer under permits from ILA, Aurora Research Institute (ARI), the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, and the approval of the EISC. .Rare plant surveys were completed in 2018. No drilling activities will occur on or near water. The existing winter trail to the site crosses a small creek at KM 2.4 of the access route. Rig mats are in place to cross the creek. The creek and area will be cleaned up, with rig mats removed, prior to April 15, 2022, as part of the sump remediation program. The project has received letters of support from the Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Committees. IPC meet monthly with both HTCs and the Community Corporations from Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik, as well as quarterly with the Inuvialuit Game Council as part of the ongoing engagement for the IESP. IPC hold an existing land use permit from the ILA for the sump remediation activity that will expire on April 15, 2022. The research team intends to amend the ILA permit to allow for this research. The geotechnical field program is expected to take three weeks (21 days) to complete in March 2022. This project has received an exemption from screening from the EISC. IPC will follow the current COVID-19 directions of the Chief Public Health Officer of the Northwest Territories during all aspects of the program. The research team have consulted with the EISC, the ILA, the local HTCs, and Community Corporations, to ensure there are no concerns about the program or conflicts with other land users during the surveys. All concerns brought forward will be addressed. The team have an exemption from screening from the EISC, and a Land Use License from the ILA and are seeking a research permit from the ARI. While on site, all crews will be experienced and trained in wilderness safety and a project specific safety and environmental protection plan will be in place. The crew will be equipped with satellite phones and cellular phones in the field. An Inuvialuit wildlife monitor will be present at all times. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from March 7, 2022 to March 31, 2022