In Northeast British Columbia, approximately 10,000 oil and gas wells have become inactive for economical or technological reasons creating significant environmental liability for oil and gas producers. A large producer in the region retained Matrix to manage an area-based portfolio of inactive well sites and progress the sites from their current status through site screening, site investigation, remediation, Certificate of Restoration (COR) Part 1 application, forested and agricultural land restoration, post reclamation assessments, and COR Part 2 application. Matrix works on approximately 150 sites/year within this portfolio.
Golden Ranches conservation area: Assessment and remediation
Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) is a non-profit organization that conserves, protects, and enhances ecological habitats for the benefit and enjoyment of the public. A land donation from a ranching family led to ACA and its partners having the opportunity to assume 1,350 acres of valuable grassland, aspen forest, and lake shoreline in the Beaver Hills UNESCO Biosphere Reserve east of Edmonton, Alberta. Golden Ranches provides important habitat for upland birds, waterfowl, white-tailed deer, and moose.
Drumquin Park Weir Removal and Channel Enhancements
In collaboration with Enbridge and the Town of Milton, Conservation Halton undertook a priority environmental project to decommission the existing Drumquin Park weir on East Sixteen Mile Creek and restore the natural channel function and habitat. Sixteen Mile Creek provides aquatic habitat to many species including the Silver Shiner, a species classified as at risk in Canada and threatened provincially. Removal of the Drumquin weir provides the opportunity to restore connectivity to downstream occupied Silver Shiner habitat and rehabilitate degraded Silver Shiner habitat – actions that address the various recovery objectives for this threatened species.
Spill Response and Remediation Program Management
Murphy Oil Corporation discovered a condensate release from one of its pipelines at three separate surface locations in April 2015. Our client needed to delineate and contain the spill. Monitoring of wildlife, surface water, groundwater, and atmosphere quality was required to assess for impacts from the release. Once containment was put in place, Murphy needed to remediate and manage risks associated with the spill.
AltaLink Substation Reclamation
AltaLink needed to reclaim their decommissioned Judy Creek Substation located in northern Alberta and apply for a reclamation certificate. A typical substation reclamation project involves determining whether there is soil contamination present due to transformer oil or other contaminates that may have leaked or spilled over the course of operations. Matrix conducted a Phase I environmental site assessment (ESA) and identified some areas of soil contamination that had to be removed in order to meet the natural conditions of the adjacent landscape.
Recent Posts
Environmental Support for Finch West Light Rail Transit Construction Project
TORONTO, ONTARIOPROJECT SUMMARY The Finch West light rail transit (LRT) project will bring an additional 11 kilometers and 18 stops of public transit, while renewing aging infrastructure. The project aims to reduce travel and connection times and provide an economic...
Power Pole Preservative Fate and Transport Modelling and Risk Assessment
ALBERTAPROJECT SUMMARY As part of their management of environmental liability, a power transmission client wanted help evaluating the fate and transport of pentachlorophenol (PCP), creosote, and arsenate compounds from utility transmission line poles to the...
Air Quality Assessment: In Situ Thermal Oil Sands SAGD Facility
NORTHERN ALBERTAPROJECT SUMMARY An oilsands developer requested to scope a potential increase in their facility sulphur dioxide (SO2) emission limit to allow for operational flexibility. To support this regulatory amendment request, Matrix Solutions Inc. conducted...
Lithium Brine Deposit Resource and Reserve Estimate
SALAR LITHIUM BRINE PLAY – ARGENTINA, S. AMERICAPROJECT SUMMARY Our client was in the resource delineation and quantification stage of planning a lithium brine project in South America. As part of this exploration, it was recognized that hydrogeological aquifer...
Flood Mitigation Study for New Hamburg
NEW HAMBURG, ONTARIOPROJECT SUMMARY The Town of New Hamburg is located along the Nith River and is one of 27 municipal flood damage centres in the Grand River Conservation Authority’s (GRCA’s) jurisdiction. The Town was established and developed in the Nith River...
We routinely lead characterization of stream morphology to:
- Assess fluvial erosion hazards
- Develop alternatives for erosion control in environmental assessments
- Develop management strategies as part of land use planning (subwatershed, secondary, tertiary plans and site plans)
- Assist in culvert/bridge design
- Define erosion thresholds to inform stormwater management