Inverness Culvert Watercourse Development Permit
2022 | West Kelowna, BC
The City of West Kelowna engaged McElhanney to navigate the design and engineering of a culvert upgrade. After 40 years of use, the culvert was considered undersized and at the end of its lifespan. Hinging on environmental approvals from the Ministry of Forests, McElhanney’s familiarity with the Ministry’s approval requirements translated to a streamlined reporting process.
Because this project would impact a fish bearing waterway, a thorough environmental approval was required before the City of West Kelowna could proceed with the upgrade. As part of their design and engineering services, McElhanney’s team in Penticton provided the client with the environmental services needed to meet Ministry requirements.
McElhanney provided the client with an understanding of the permit and approval landscape their project faced and detailed how we would navigate that landscape. Fieldwork was performed to expedite the permitting process to get the City of West Kelowna to work as quickly as possible.
McElhanney provided:
- Storm system assessment
- Fish habitat and riparian areas assessment to support permit applications under the provincial BC Water Sustainability Act and federal Fisheries Act regulatory processes.
- Mitigation to replace loss of instream and riparian habitat areas with on-site improvements.
- Review and mitigation for species at risk habitat located near the project site.
- Construction stage environmental monitoring including bird nest sweep, water monitoring/site isolation planning, and erosion and sediment control implementation.
