Location
Salmon River, BC (Vancouver Island)
Date
2018 – 2019
Sector
Service Area
Project Overview
The BC Hydro Salmon River Dam near Campbell River, BC, was decommissioned to support fish passage and dam safety improvements. The Salmon River was diverted to isolate the dam structure and all water in contact with the dam (including inflow of water to the work area) were run through a treatment system to remove contaminants. This process required regular water quality sampling to ensure discharge water quality met Provincial water quality objectives for protection of aquatic life. The dam infrastructure was made of creosote-treated timber, leading to large volumes of contaminated material including soil and sediments, which required characterization and off-site disposal at permitted facilities. The dam was decommissioned in phases including extensive excavations of contaminated soils as part of the remedial activities and restoration of the Salmon River. Numerous large stockpiles of soil and demolition materials continuously required sampling and characterization to support material management and off-site disposal in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Services and Solutions Provided
Envirochem conducted soil and water characterization and tracked all soil and material movement for the water treatment and soil disposal contractor, Northwin Environmental during all stages of the decommissioning and the restoration process.
Results Delivered
All work was successfully managed, tracked, documented, and reported to BC Hydro. Envirochem’s work supported the completion of dam decommissioning and watercourse restoration within the narrow timeframe of the Fisheries window and the project was awarded the 2018 Water Management Award of Excellence from the Canadian Water Resources Association.

Founded in 1984, Envirochem is an established environment, health and safety consultancy working locally, nationally and internationally. Our multidisciplinary team combines scientific and engineering excellence with a business-oriented approach to provide both practical and innovative environmental management, scientific, engineering and technology solutions to suit the needs of our clients across industrial, commercial, residential, and government sectors.
General Inquiries
response@envirochem.com
Telephone
+1-604-986-0233
Head Office Location
#206 - West Quay Centre
267 W Esplanade, North Vancouver, BC Canada V7M 1A5