FRASER GRAIN TERMINAL EXPORT FACILITY

Transcription

1 BKL CONSULTANTS LTD acoustics noise vibration FRASER GRAIN TERMINAL EXPORT FACILITY PREPARED FOR: HEMMERA AND FRASER GRAIN TERMINAL LTD. JUNE 2017 REVISION 5

2

3 NOTICE FRASER GRAIN TERMINAL EXPORT FACILITY BKL Consultants Ltd. (BKL) has prepared this report for the sole and exclusive benefit of Hemmera and Fraser Grain Terminal Ltd. (the Client) in support of the environmental assessment for the proposed Fraser Grain Terminal Export Facility Export Facility (the Project) under applicable regulations.. BKL disclaims any liability to the Client and to third parties in respect of the publication, reference, quoting or distribution of this report or any of its contents to and reliance thereon by any third party. This document contains the expression of the professional opinion of BKL, at the time of its preparation, as to the matters set out herein, using its professional judgment and reasonable care. The information provided in this report was compiled from existing documents and data provided by the Client, measurements performed by BKL, spectral sound power level data compiled and calculated by BKL, and by applying currently accepted industry practice and modelling methods. Unlesss expressly stated otherwise, assumptions, data and information supplied by, or gathered from other sources (including the Client, other consultants, testing laboratories and equipment suppliers, etc.) upon which BKL s opinion as set out herein is based has not been verified by BKL; BKL makes no representation as to its accuracy and disclaims all liability with respect thereto. This document is meant to be read as a whole, and sections or parts thereof should thus not be read or relied upon out of context. BKL reserves the right to modify the contents of this report, in whole or in part, to reflect any new information that becomes available. If any conditions become apparent that differ significantly from the understanding of conditions as presented in this report, BKL should be notified immediately to reassess the conclusions provided herein. HEMMERA i PAGE

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BKL Consultants Ltd. (BKL) has conducted an environmental noise assessment for the proposed Fraser Grain Terminal Export Facility (the Project) at the Fraser Surrey Docks. The Project involves redevelopment of the former Bekaert steel wire manufacturing site to build a new grain processing terminal. BKL s environmental noise assessment aimed to review existing conditions at nearby residential receivers, construct a noise model to predict community noise levels in the existing noise environment and the future noise environment with the Project operating at full capacity, perform a noise impact assessment in compliance with relevant Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA, the Port) guidelines, and provide mitigation options where applicable. BKL assessed existing community noise levels using four noise level meters installed in the community at locations representative of the closest noise-sensitive receivers in Surrey and New Westminster. Noise measurements were undertaken on two occasions during March and April 2016, capturing a range of noise generated by activities adjacent to the Project site at Fraser Surrey Docks including the unloading of steel, agricultural and container ships. The noise data captured was used to characterize the existing annual average community noise environment and assist in establishing the existing noise levels at potentially affected receivers. BKL developed a Cadna/A computer noise model to assess existing (2015) and future (2020) noise levels at all nearby residences. The Project noise predictions were based on the following main assumptions: Noise from the adjacent Fraser Surrey Docks terminals will not change significantly between 2015 and 2020 Traffic volumes on South Fraser Perimeter Road will increase by 3% each year from 2015 to 2020 Mainline rail traffic will increase by 3% each year from 2015 to 2020 The existing noise sources are South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR), River Road,, rail activities near the site and the joint venture (JV) facility at the Project site The future noise sources include the existing noise sources noted above with the stated growth rates applied plus noise from the proposed facility BKL s noise model accounts for the following factors: The specific operation times (times of day, days of the week and total annual operation time) for each item of on-site equipment was included FRASER GRAIN TERMINAL EXPORT FACILITY A 5 db penalty was applied to noise from the train warning whistles, locomotive and rolling stock movements during rail loading and unloading activities to account for increased annoyance due to the potential for tones, low frequency noise and regular impulsive sound characteristics A 5 db penalty was applied to backup alarms for mobile gantry and forklift equipment to account for increased annoyance due to tone ii PAGE BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

5 A 12 db penalty was applied to noise from shunting impacts during rail loading and unloading activities to account for increased annoyance due to highly impulsive sound characteristics Based on these assumptions, BKL predicts the increase in the Total Noise Rating Level for the Future scenario to be less than 1 dba for the majority of the receivers, with a maximum increase of 2 dba at some receivers. An increase in noise level is to be expected given that, while some existing on-site equipment is being replaced, no activities are to be removed from the site and new activities are being added. The dominant noise source in both the baseline and the future scenarios is predicted to be a nonin the percentage project source, specifically traffic on the South Fraser Perimeter Road. The change of people highly annoyed by the overall noise environment is predicted to range from 0% to 3% depending on the neighbourhood, which is less than the Health Canada criterion of 6.5%. The change in the number of people highly annoyed by their overall noise environment is predicted to be five. HEMMERA iii PAGE

6 TABLE OF CONTENTS NOTICE... i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... ii Table of Contents... iv List of Tables... v List of Figures... v List of Appendices... vi List of Abbreviations and Acronyms... vii 1 Introduction Project Description Overview Low Noise Initiatives Study Objectives Assessment Criteria Impact Noise Criteria Noise Mitigation Criteria Spatial and Temporal Boundaries Spatial Boundaries Temporal Boundaries Inventory of Noise Sensitive Receivers Existing Environmental Conditions Community Interaction Site Activities Baseline Noise Monitoring Noise Modelling Methodology Acoustical Model Noise Model Scenarios Baseline Noise Model FGT-Generated Noise Sources Rail Unloading Ship Loading Container and Other Loading Activities Non-FGT-Generated Noise Sources Sound Level Adjustments Receivers Geometric Data Topography Ground Surface Obstacles Limitations iv PAGE BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

7 8 Predicted Noise Levels Total Noise FGT-Generated Noise Consequential Noise Impacts along Supply Chain Potential Mitigation Conclusions References List of Tables Table 2.1 Overview Equipment Operation Summary... 4 Table 6.1 Overview of Noise Monitoring Conditions Table 6.2 Overview of Noise Measurement Site Characteristics Table 6.3 Summary of Noise Measurement Results Table 7.1 Noise Modelling Scenarios Table 8.1 Summary of Predicted Noise Levels Table 8.2 Partial Noise Levels, With Project 2020, for Representative Receivers Table 9.1 Noise Mitigation Options List of Figures Figure 1.1 Aerial View from New Westminster across the Fraser River... 2 Figure 2.1 Project Location on Fraser River... 3 Figure 2.2 Project Site... 3 Figure 2.3 Site Equipment Layout... 6 Figure 5.1 Groups for Noise Sensitive Receivers Figure 6.1 Baseline Noise Measurement Locations Figure 7.13-D View of Cadna/A Noise Model Figure 8.1 Receivers with the Highest Change in %HA for Each Group HEMMERA v PAGE

8 List of Appendices Appendix A PER Noise Assessment Screening Worksheets Appendix B Environmental Noise Assessment Terms of Reference Appendix C Glossary Appendix D Introduction to Sound and Environmental Noise Assessment Appendix E Baseline Noise Measurement Results Appendix F FGT Noise Source Details Appendix G Figures and Noise Contours Appendix H Results Tables vi PAGE BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

9 List of Abbreviations and Acronyms FRASER GRAIN TERMINAL EXPORT FACILITY Abbreviation/Acronym %HA ANSI BC BKL CMC CN db dba EA EC FSD FGT Hemmera Hz JV Facility km km/h L d L den L e L eq L LF L n m MT Mt/a PARY the Port the Project s SFPR SWL TOR VFPA Definition Percentage of highly annoyed persons American National Standards Institute British Columbia BKL Consultants Ltd. CMC Engineering & Management Ltd Canadian National Railway decibel A-weighted decibel environmental assessment European Commission Fraser Surrey Docks Fraser Grain Terminal Ltd. Hemmera Envirochem Inc. hertz The existing joint venture facility owned by FGT and FSD kilometre kilometres per hour daytime (7 am to 7 pm) equivalent sound level day-evening-night equivalent sound level evening time (7 pm to 10 pm) equivalent sound level equivalent sound level low frequency sound level nighttime (10 pm to 7 am) equivalent sound level metree mega tonnes (10 6 ) mega tonnes per annum (10 6 ) Port Authority Rail Yard Vancouver Fraser Port Authority Fraser Grain Terminal Export Facility second South Fraser Perimeter Road sound power level Environmental Noise Assessment Terms of Reference Vancouver Fraser Port Authority HEMMERA vii PAGE

10 1 INTRODUCTIONN BKL Consultants Ltd. (BKL) has been retained by Hemmera Envirochem Inc. (Hemmera) to provide an environmental noise impact assessment for the proposed Fraser Grain Terminal Export Facility (the Project). Fraser Grain Terminal Ltd. (FGT) proposes to build a state-of-the-art grain terminal on Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA, the Port) land located at Elevator Road in Surrey (the Project). The site, used previously by a steel wire manufacturer, Bekaert Canada Limited, is currently vacant. The proposed FGT will act as a trans-shipment facility for bulk grain products including: wheat, barley, oil seeds, pulses and other speciality grains. The partners for the proposed FGT, in partnership with Fraser Surrey Docks (FSD), operate an existing agriproducts handling facility at FSD built in 2011 (JV Facility). This consists of a small rail unloading facility, an 18,0000 t storage shed (Shed #1) and a series of portable conveyors to load vessels. In 2015, the existing JV Facility handled in excess of 800,000 t of agriproducts. An aerial view of the existing site is shown in Figure 1.1 below. The Project includes demolishing former Bekaert buildings and installing the following new components to expand grain handling operations at FSD Berth 3 and 4: a rail loop track and rail car dumper building, above ground storage silos, conveying equipment, a shiploader, dust suppression systems, a container storage yard, a container stuffing facility, a rail and truck loading facility, and ship berth modifications. HEMMERA 1 PAGE

11 Figure 1.1 Aerial View from New Westminster across the Fraser River The proposed Project will receive grains by rail then transfer the products to storage silos with a small amount loaded directly to vessels on a Direct Hit basis. From the storage silos, the grain will be loaded onto cargo ships and into bulk containers, railcars or trucks. Ocean going cargo vessels will be partially loaded at this terminal facility and then topped up at a deep water terminal, such as Alliance Grain Terminal, if required. The majority of containers will be trucked to Deltaport, and then loadedd onto container ships for international distribution. With centralized product, there may also be opportunities to explore short sea shipping in the future from FSD to Deltaport. Railcars and some trucks will be destined for distribution to customers in the Fraser Valley. Unloading and shipping could occur at any time, seven days a week. Container, truck and railcar loading will occur from 8 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday. FSD is the operator of Berths #3 and #4 where a state-of-the-art travelling ship loader will be constructed. The ship loader will serve the proposed new terminal and will also be used to load agricultural products from the existing JV Facility. The redeveloped site is expected to process a total of 4.0 Mt/a once operating at full capacity in 2020, with 3.5 Mt/a loaded via the new facility and 0.5 Mt/a from Shed 1 of the existing JV Facility. The assessment methodology for the Project was developed by considering the requirements outlined in the Port s document, Project & Environmental Review Guidelines Environmental Noise Assessment (PER) which was issued July The PER includes a noise screening procedure to determine whether an environmental noise assessment report was required for the Project. Completion of the noise screening worksheets indicated that a noise assessment was required; the completed worksheets are provided in Appendix A. The assessment methodology for the Project, including the noise monitoring procedure and noise modelling scenarios, were outlined in the Environmental Noise Assessment Terms of Reference document (TOR), dated March 31, 2016, which was submitted and approved by the Port. The TOR is provided in Appendix B. This report documents existing noise exposure levels at potentially affected residential receiver locations near the Project and the predicted noise climate following completion of the Project as defined in the TOR. Relevant information regarding acoustics fundamentals and terminology is presented in Appendix C. 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2.1 Overview The Project site is located in the Whalley area of Surrey area on the Fraser River in Surrey, BC. Figure 2.1 provides an overview of the Project location within Metro Vancouver, and Figure 2.2 shows the location of the site on the Fraser River. 2 Page BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

12 Figure 2.1 Project Location on Fraser River Figure 2.2 Project Site The site, which was used previously by a steel wire manufacturer, Bekaert Canada Limited, is currently vacant. The land directly west of the Project site is currently being used to ship HEMMERA 3 PAGE

13 agriproducts via the JV Facility, which services approximately 20 vessels per year using a mobile conveyance system. Each vessel typically takes two days to load. The Project involves: demolishing buildings related to the Bekaert Steel plant, replacing some equipment at the JV Facility, and constructing new storage and receiving facilities to service additional vessels as well as adding container, truck and railcar loading facilities at the site. The Project is designed to unload 3.5 Mt/a of grains from railcars and load 3.2 Mt/a of grains onto vessels consisting of wheat,, barley, canola, soybeans, peas, and lentils. The existing JV Facility will remain in operation to unload approximately 500,000 t of canola meal pellets, but will make use of the FGT s new travelling ship loader for loading vessels. The site is expected to be operating at capacity by 2020, processing up to 4.0 Mt/a; 0.5 Mt/a through the JV Facility and 3.5 Mt/a through the new FGT Facility. A total of 337 trains are expected to be unloaded at the site annually. 281 trains will unload at the new facilities, while 56 trains will continute to unload at the updated JV Facility. The length of time required to unload the trains will depend on both the size of the train and which facility is being used. The proposed ship loader will serve the proposed new terminal and will also be used to load agricultural products from the updated JV Facility. A total of 107 vessels are expected to be loaded annuallyvia the new facility by 2020, which corresponds to approximately two ships per week. A total of 20 ships are expected to be loading annual via the JV Facility each year. Both ship loading and railcar unloading may occur at any time of day on any day of the week. Receiving and loading at the new Project facility will be much faster than at the JV Facility. The container, truck and railcar loading activities will operate from 8 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday. An overview of future equipment operation times are provided in Table 2.1 below. Table 2.1 Overview Equipment Operation Summary Activity Ship loading via FGT Facility Ship loading via JV Facility Trains unloading to FGT Facility Train unloading to JV Facility (Shed 1) Operational Period Could occur at any time 107 vessels 2 per week Could occur at any time 20 vessels N/A Could occur at any time Could occur at any time Per year 156 with 11,200 tonnes of product and 125 with 14,000 tonnes of product 36 with 11,200 tonnes of product and 20 with 5000 tonnes of product Total Number Per week 5 or 6 per week N/A Operation Time 28 hours (continuous) per vessel 40 to 50 hours (continuous) per vessel 7 hours for 11,200 tonnes and 9 hours for 14,000 tonnes 17 hours for 11,200 tonnes and 8 hours for 5000 product 4 Page BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

14 Activity Operational Period Total Number Operation Time Train - loading Moving containers with forklifts Moving containers with top picks Trucks - containers Trucks - loading 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday 2,300 cars loaded 45 cars (9 per day, M to F) 2 forklifts 85% of shift 2 top picks 80% of shift 26,000 trips 98 trips per day 750 trips 15 trucks (3 per day, M to F) 2.5 hrs per day 522 minutes per day for each item 474 minutes per day for each item Each will take approx 2 minutes Each will take 90 seconds Figure 2.3 (overleaf) provides an overview of the site including location of some of the noise sources and transportation paths for mobile equipment. 2.2 Low Noise Initiatives The Project design already incorporates the following low noise initiatives: All filter unit fans are to be fitted with a silencer. Conveyors will utilize low noise polyethylene rollers. Conveyors will be operated at low speeds (2.54 m/s). Conveyors will be fully enclosed. Rail squeal has been addressed by rail track layouts and greasing of tracks. Loading operation of the container yard will be limited to daytime/weekday only. HEMMERA 5 PAGE

15 FRASER GRAIN TERMINAL EXPORT FACILITY Figure 2.3 Site Equipment Layout 6 Page BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

16 3 STUDY OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to: evaluate existing noise conditions at potentially affected residential receivers within the community, construct a noise model for the purpose of predicting community noise levels for 2015 baseline conditions and with the Project at full capacity in the year 2020, compare predicted noise levels, quantify the significance of any noise increases in terms of the annual average day- periods, tonal, evening-night level (L den ) including any appropriate adjustments for time impulsive and low frequency noise characteristics, and provide mitigation options to minimize potential noise impacts. Construction noise assessment was not part of the current study. Construction noise management is addressed in the Project s Construction Environmental Management Plan. 4 ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 4.1 Impact Noise Criteria This noise assessment has been conducted to comply with the Port s Project & Environmental Review Guidelines - Environmental Noise Assessment (VFPA 2015, the Guidelines). The intent of the study is to predict the noise levels for two scenarios: the baseline scenario and the future scenario when the Project is operating at full capacity. As per the Guidelines, the model predicts the yearly average L den Total noise levels and accounts for: off-site (such as road and rail traffic) and FGT-generated noise sources, the tonal and frequency characteristic of each noise source, how many days each on-site activity occurs, the time of day each on-site activity occurs and whether the on-site activity occurs on weekends or weekdays. It is understood that the Port s goal for tenant-led projects such as this is to demonstrate that annual average future noise levels will not exceed existing noise levels and that terminal operators incorporate continuous improvements to reduce noise impacts to the community. Hence, this objective would be met if Project-generated noise does not result in a noise level increase at noise sensitive receivers. Noise has been quantified using the annual average day-evening-night sound level, or L den. The adjusted annual average equivalent sound level is the recommended metric to predict the long- adjustments term annoyance response of a community (ANSI 2005). The predicted L den includes for evening, night and weekend noise and any necessary adjustments for tonal or impulsive noise as recommended by the ANSI standard. The purpose of applying these adjustments is to reflect HEMMERA 7 PAGE

17 the fact that people are more disturbed by noise during evenings, nights and weekends, compared to weekday daytime hours. Similarly, people are more disturbed by impulsive (e.g., railcar shunting), tonal (e.g., backup alarms on mobile equipment, rail squeal, train horns) and excessive low frequency (e.g., some shipboard generators) noise sources, than they are by more neutral noise sources, like steady road traffic noise. The Guideline also statess that the Port will consider whether the post-project noise level exceeds 75 L den dba. In addition to the L den, we have presented the change in the percentage highly annoyed (%HA) between the baseline and the horizon year. The Guidelines reference the %HA parameter, but do not provide criteria. Therefore we have considered the Health Canada Guideline, published in 2010, which states that noise mitigation should be considered where the difference between the baseline %HA and the project %HA exceeds 6.5%. The Guideline also addresses low frequency noise, specifically stating that the Port will consider whether the post-project low-frequency level, which is defined as the sum of the 16, 31.5 and 63 Hz octave bands, exceeds 70 db L LF. For analysis, residences were organized into groups of houses, and, although BKL predicted noise levels for each residence within the groups, noise modelling results are presented in this report as average values for each group. Appendix D describes the metrics used in this assessment, including noise adjustments. 4.2 Noise Mitigation Criteria Best available techniques not entailing excessive cost (BATNEEC) will be reviewed for inclusion in the Project to minimize noise levels. If the results indicate that a significant effect may occur at one or more noise-sensitivee locations, additional noise mitigation options will be investigated and discussed in the report. If necessary and where practical, this will include identification of opportunities for reducing noise from proposed sources. The BATNEEC approach involves the assessment of all factors that contribute to the resulting noise impact, such as whether or not: the quietest available equipment is being used, the site layout has been optimized to minimize the noise impact, e.g., through the use of natural screens such as buildings, open doors facing away from residences, distance attenuation, etc., site procedures have been optimized to minimize the noise impact, e..g., keeping doors closed, conducting noisy procedures indoors, hours of operation for noisy procedures have been optimized to minimize the noise impact and/or restricted to specific hours so that the community knows when to expect particularly annoying noise events, other aspects of site operations are being conducted in the most noise conscious manner, and additional noise enclosures or barriers are used to minimize the noise impact. 8 PAGE BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

18 5 SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL BOUNDARIES 5.1 Spatial Boundaries The study area (as shown in Figure 5.1 below) was defined to include the first two rows of the closest noise-sensitive receivers on both sides of the river and includes approximately 500 metres to the east of the Project site and Port Authority Rail Yard (PARY) in the City of Surrey, and approximately 1,300 metres to the northwest of the site to include sensitive receivers in the City of New Westminster. the closest noise 5.2 Temporal Boundaries The intent of the study is to predict the noise levels for two scenarios: the baseline scenario and the future scenario when the Project is operating at full capacity. The Project has defined the baseline year as 2015 and the future year, when the site is operating at full capacity, as Noise associated with construction activities is excluded from this assessment. 5.3 Inventory of Noise Sensitive Receivers The noise-sensitive receivers near the site are all residential dwellings. The closest noise-sensitive receivers are located east of the site in Surrey. As the ambient noise character for the receivers varies due to the variations in elevation and presence of significant noise sources, receivers have been split into groups of similar noise environments, as shown in Figure 5.1. A total of 102 receivers were included in the assessment. Using census data, we have assumed there are 2.8 residents for each dwelling, which results in 286 persons within the study area. HEMMERA 9 PAGE

19 Figure 5.1 Groups for Noise Sensitive Receivers 6 EXISTING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS 6.1 Community Interaction The Guideline states the history of interaction between a tenant and the surrounding community concerning noise and other nuisance issues is useful in understanding the current level of acceptance. The Port has provided a summary of the FSD-related complaints received between 2012 and Out of a total of 16 complaints documented over this period, two were related to noise. Both complaints were received in 2014: one originating from Surrey in September mentioning ship horns and one from New Westminster in March relating to general FSD terminal noise. The summary provided indicates that, for the ship horn noise complaint, additional tracking was implemented to collect more detailed information of the activities. For the terminal noise complaint, the summary notes that the Port followed up with FSD to confirm that there were no new projects, and that the noise level dropped down to normal again later. 6.2 Site Activities As described in Section 2, there is currently no activity at the Bekaert lease area. However there is industrial activity at the FSD site to the north of the Site and shipping from the JV Facility to the 10 PAGE BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

20 west of Bekaert lease area. Activity at FSD include unloading agriproduct, container and steel ships, as well as other associated activities such as rail, gantries, forklifts and trucks. The intensity of the activities at the site depends on whether there are vessels docked and the specific cargo of each vessel. The closest noise-sensitivee receivers are east of the site in Surrey. There are also residential receivers located across the Fraser River in New Westminster. 6.3 Baseline Noise Monitoring BKL assessed existing baseline noise levels using noise measurement data collected in March and April 2016 at four sites in the community. Noise meters were installed on two separate occasions to capture a variety of activities at Fraser Surrey Docks. Table 6.1 provides an overview of the measurement studies and activities on site during the measurements. All meters used meet the Type 1 specifications in ANSI S1.4 (ANSI 1983). The microphones were field-calibrated before and after each monitoring period using a Brüel & Kjær Type 4230 Calibrator. Table 6.1 Overview of Noise Monitoring Conditions Date March 29 to March 31, 2016 April 14 to April 18, 2016 Day Tuesday to Thursday Thursday to Monday Weather Conditions Generally fair with no precipitation and wind speed less than 5 m/s Generally overcast with no precipitation and wind speed less than 5 m/. Location Agri ship unloading (Berth 4) Steel ship unloading Container ship unloading (Berth 7) Steel ship unloading (Berth 2) On-site activities Time Tuesday - 8am to midnight Wednesday - 8am to midnight Tues to Thursday dayshift Fri 8am shift 4: :30pm shift Sat 8am shift Fri 8am shift BKL studied noise data to characterize the existing community noise environment and assist in establishing the pre-project noise exposure levels at potentially affected receivers. Because only a small number of vessels are currently loaded at the proposed site, the measured noise levels quantify noise from other nearby industries including activities at FSD; road, rail, air and marine traffic; and local activities at or near the monitoring sites. Table 6.2 below provides an overview of the monitoring locations and ambient noise sources at each of the monitoring locations. The measured noise levels are summarized in Table 6.2. The L den values incorporate adjustments for evening, night, and weekend noise but not for annoying characteristics from tones, impulses, or low frequency noise. The monitoring locations are shown in Figure 6.1 below. Site data sheets of raw measured data for each site are provided in Appendix E. HEMMERA 11 PAGE

21 Table 6.2 Overview of Noise Measurement Site Characteristics Measurement Location City 1 Surrey 2 Surrey 3 Surrey Distance from centre of Project site Elevation relative to site 350 m 25 m 450 m 15 m 1000 m 20 m Description Elevated position with line of sight to Fraser Surrey Docks. Traffic, aircraft, occasional train movements Traffic on SFPR and River Road dominant. Rail noise also contributing to ambient noise environment. Meter installed facing subject site on a generally quiet cul-de-sac. Elevated above site level. Noise from distant traffic on SFPR dominant, with occasional noise from industrial sources audible at measurement position. 4 New Westminster 1500 m 0 m Meter installed near the walkway along the bank of the Fraser River. Distant traffic, aircraft, birds, rail and industrial noise were all audible on occasion. Industrial sites are located west (500m from meter) and south (1000m from the meter) of the site. Figure 6.1 Baseline Noise Measurement Locations 12 PAGE BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

22 Table 6.3 Summary of Noise Measurement Results Site Salter Street March 29/30 March 30/31 April 14/15 April April 15/16 16/17 April 17/18 Site th Street March 29/30 March 30/31 April 14/15 April April 15/16 16/17 April 17/18 Site River Road March 29/30 March 30/31 April 14/15 April April 15/16 16/17 April 17/18 Site Queens Place March 29/30 March 30/31 April 14/15 April April 15/16 16/17 April 17/18 HEMMERA 13 PAGE

23 Analysis of data revealed that day-evening-night average sound levels (L de n) received at the baseline sites were dominated by rail activity (passbys and rail squeal), and traffic on South Fraser Perimeter Road, except at Location 4. Noise levels were highest during daytime hours and lowest during nighttime hours. Weekend noise levels appeared to be slightly lower than weekday noise levels. However, the differences were typically within 3 db, which was similar to the weekday-to- Modelling weekday variation at most of the locations and is not considered significant.noise Methodology Prior to developing the noise model, BKL submitted a summary of the Term of Reference (TOR) for the Project to the Port. The goal of submitting the TOR was to outline the proposed parameters for the assessment, including the receivers to be assessed, baselinee noise monitoring locations, overview of modelling methodology and noise modelling scenarios. After the TOR document was accepted, a detailed noise modelling methodology was developed. This section provides information relating to the noise modelling methodology and key equipment operation assumptions. A detailed list of the modelled noise sources can be found in Details on the penalties and operating assumptions for each modelled noise source are provided in Appendix F. 7 NOISE MODELLING METHODOLOGY 7.1 Acoustical Model Transportation and industrial noise levels have been predicted using the internationally recommended ISO (1996), Dutch SRM II (1996) and NMPB-Routes-1996 (1997) standards implemented in the outdoor sound propagation software Cadna/A version 4.6. The Good Practice Guide for Strategic Noise Mapping (EC WG-AEN 2007) points out that these standards are recommended by the European Commission (EC) as current best practice to obtain accurate prediction results. BKL follows best practices described in the Good Practice Guide on Port Area Noise Mapping and Management (NoMEPorts 2008). ISO 9613 describes a method for calculating the attenuation of sound during propagation outdoors in order to predict environmental noise levels at a distance from a variety of sources. It is the EC preferred standard for general industrial noise prediction. The method predicts the equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level under meteorological conditions favourable for sound propagation. BKL used this method to predict noise propagation from the Project activities at the subject site. NMPB-Routes-1996 is the current European Union (EU) preferred road traffic noise prediction model. It specifies octave band sound power levels for roadways, dependant on traffic volumes, average travel speed, percentage of heavy vehicles (i.e., trucks, buses), road gradient and a flow conditions factor (continuous, accelerating, decelerating). BKL has found that this model provides a high level of agreement with traffic noise measurements conducted in British Columbia. BKL used this method to predict noise emission and propagation for all road traffic. The Dutch SRM II is the EC preferred rail prediction model. It calculates levels in octave bands and splits the source into as many as five sub-sources, located at different heights depending on the type of train specified. BKL used this method to predict noise emission and propagation from CN Rail through-traffic on the main line. 14 PAGE BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

24 Model calculations were performed in octave bands, considering ground cover, topography and shielding objects (see following sections). A temperature of 10 o C and relative humidity of 80 per cent were used in the model settings to represent average weather conditions in Vancouver. 1 A moderate temperature inversion was assumed to represent conditions favourable for sound propagation but not the absolute worst-case conditions. 7.2 Noise Model Scenarios Noise modelling has been completed on a series of scenarios chosen to best represent the current and future noise environments, taking into account the Project, anticipated future growth in road and rail traffic, and potential changes to other nearby industries. The proposed scenarios are listed and described in Table 7.1. For the two scenarios, all Project and non-project noise sources were included in the model. Project-generated noise was defined as noise that can be controlled by the operator (i.e., rail activities performed by operator, on-site truck movements, product handling equipment including conveyers, mechanical equipment and any sound reflecting off new buildings). Nonand the collection project sources include noise from vehicles of public roads, mainline rail traffic and delivery of railcars to FGT site (the timing of these activities is controlled by the train operators). Section 7.3 includes detailed information about the site operation assumptions used for the model. Table 7.1 Noise Modelling Scenarios Scenario. Baseline Future Noise Scenario Throughput 2015 Pre- Project 2020 With Project 0.8 Mt/a 4.0 Mt/a Description This is the 2015 scenario which involved loading l of up to 20 vessels per annum at the site. Project noise sources associated with site activity and non-project noise sources were included in the model. Traffic volumes have been obtained from Stantec and rail volumes have been estimated from the baseline monitoring data. The additional noise sources and increased capacity of the Project were added to the model based on a total of 127 vessels per annum being loading at the site. The model includes noise from all mobile plant. A growth rate of 3% per annum was applied to non-project noise sources. 1 Variations in temperature and humidity have little effect on the overall noise propagation and hence the model predictions will represent a much wider range of weather conditions. HEMMERA 15 PAGE

25 7.3 Baseline Noise Model Noise from rail traffic on the CN main line and road traffic on SFPR has been included in the noise model. Sound power levels for traffic sources were derived using informationn provided for past projects and calibration to field noise measurements. For rail sources, the results of the baseline monitoring were used to estimate rail yard and rail mainline noise levels. In addition to SFPR and rail on the CN main line, other potential ambient noise sources include industrial activities at FSD and the noise from existing activity at the JV facility. We estimated the noise output from the existing JV facility and FSD site using the noise measurements taken on-site. 7.4 FGT-Generated Noise Sources The activities at the site can be grouped into three broad categories: Shipping material from the site, Receiving material from rail cars at the site and Loading activities, ncluding loading of containers, trucks and rails cars. The shipping and receiving operations can occur at any time of day and will occasionally occur on weekends. In contrast, loading activities at the site will only occur during daytime hours and only on week days. Table 2.1 in Section 2 provides a comprehensive overview of the operational hours for the different types of activities at the site. The sound power levels (SWLs) for equipment and operations that are part of the Project were provided by CMC Engineering. As SWLs were not provided for rail-related activities or ship generators, the model usess noise measurements taken on previous projects to estimate noise levels for these sources. As the conveyors on the site are fully enclosed, it was assumed there was no significant noise from the conveyor belts, however the noise from the drives were included in the model. The following sections outline the noise sources implemented in the noise modelling. Detailed noise source tables can be found in Appendix F. Figure 7.1 illustrates some of the noise sources (shown in blue) as they were modelled in Cadna/A. Locations of Project noise sources are shown in Figures G1 to G6 in Appendix G. Shed 1 Silos Truck and Rail Loading Forklift and Top Pick Operating Areas Train Loop Figure D View of Cadna/A Noise Model 16 PAGE BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

26 7.4.1 Rail Unloading Railcars will be unloaded at two different storage areas: the new silos proposed for the Project and the existing Shed 1 facility. A proportion of the material will be loaded directly onto docked vessels. A total of 281 trains are expected to unload primarily to the new silos, 156 with 11,200 tonnes of product (112 railcars) and 125 with 14,000 tonnes of product (140 railcars). The full railcars will be delivered to the Project site and then split into shorter strings of around 17 railcars in the PARY, approximately seven stringss for the 11,200 tonne deliveries and nine strings for the 14,000 tonne deliveries. Each string will be delivered to the indexer on site by the site engine and unloaded. The product will then be delivered either directly to a docked ship or to silos via conveyor systems. The 11,200 tonne trains will take approximately seven hours to unload while the 14,000 tonne trains will take longer, about nine hours. The trains will be unloaded during the daytime; however there may be some activity in the evening and nighttime, including trains arriving at the site and being split into shorter strings. A total of 56 trains are expected to deliver to the existing JV Facility, 36 with 11,200 tonnes of product and 20 with 5,000 tonnes of product. The railcars will be delivered to the FGT site and then split into shorter strings of 10 cars each. Each string will be delivered to the indexer on site by the site engine and unloaded. Unloading activity for both volumes will start during the daytime. The 5,000 tonne deliveries take eight hours to unload, so unloading will be completed during the day. However, the 11,200 tonne deliveries take up to 17 hours to unload; this can result in unloading activity taking place during the day, evening and nighttime periods. We have assumed that there will be a shunting event every time the rail car strings change directions. For each string for cars, this occurs four times: when the string is picked up from the PARY yard, when it is delivered to the indexer, when it is picked up from the indexer and when it is deliver back to the PARY yard Ship Loading While some product will be loaded directly to vessels during the train unloading process, most of the product will be transferred from the storage facilities to the vessels. Product will be loaded to the ships from two different storage sites, the new Project silos and the existing Shed 1 storage facility. Most ships, 107 of 127 vessels, will be loaded via the new facility. Product will be loaded onto ships from both the silos and directly from the railcars. It will take a total of 28 hours to load each vessel. Ship generators have been assumed to operate while product is being loaded. The other 20 vessels will be loaded from the existing JV Facility. Due to the capacity limitations of the JV Facility components, it will take a total of 40 to 50 hours to load a vessel from Shed Container and Other Loading Activities In addition to shipping, the Site will facilitate loading containers, individual rail cars and some trucks. All of these loading activities will occur in the daytime period on weekdays. 7.5 Non-FGT-Generated Noise Sources FRASER GRAIN TERMINAL EXPORT FACILITY Noise from rail traffic on the CN main line and road traffic on SFPR has been included in the noise model. Sound power levels for traffic sources were derived using informationn provided for past projects and calibration to field noise measurements. For rail sources, the results of the baseline monitoring were used and then adjusted based on an assumed growth rate of 3% per annum. HEMMERA 17 PAGE

27 Traffic increases directly associated with the Project on public transportation networks form part of the 3% annual growth rate used in the model. In addition to SFPR and rail on the CN main line, other potential ambient noise sources include industrial activities at FSD. Using the measurements taken on-site at FSD, we estimated the noise output from the FSD site for the model. Detailed noise source tables can be found in Appendix F. 7.6 Sound Level Adjustments The required 5 db evening time and 10 db nighttime adjustments have been applied to the model to all noise that occurs during evening hours (7 pm to 10 pm) and nighttime hours (10 pm to 7 am). A 5 db adjustment for weekend daytime hours (i.e., Saturdays and Sundays from 7 am to 7 pm) has also been included for rail unloading and ship loading activities as these have the potential to occur on the weekend. In addition to the time period adjustments, noise source levels are adjusted to reflect the character of the noise source, specifically tonal, low frequency or impulsiveness characteristics. BKL is not aware of any equipment that has or will have predominant tonal qualities during normal operation, other than back-up alarms on mobile equipment, train warning horns and the alarm buzzer used in the unloading shed when railcars advance. Tonal back-up alarms and train horns have been included, but since the unloading shed buzzer is not a dominant source relative to the continuous noise generated in the shed, it has not been included in the model. Where the character of noise sources was deemed to be impulsive, the appropriate penalties as defined within ASNI S /Part 4 were applied. It was determined that a low frequency penalty did not need to be globally applied, as the difference between the Project A-weighted and the C-weighted was typicallyy less than 10 db. However, a 5 db penalty was included on locomotive noise sources and shipboard generators to account for potential increased annoyance due to low frequency noise from these sources. The time and sound characteristics adjustments are additive, so noise from a tonal sources at night would be adjusted upwards by = 15 db. These adjustments apply to all environmental noise sources, not just those associated with the Project. Details on the penalties and assumptions for each modelled noise source are provided in Appendix F. 7.7 Receivers The land use in the adjacent community is almost entirely single-family residential. Noise levels were predicted at 102 receivers within Groups 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (as shown in Figure 5.1). Calculations were performed for assumed receiver heights of four metres on the facades of the residential buildings included in the study area. In addition, sound contours were calculated at the same height on ten-metre-by-ten-metre grids throughout the study area. 7.8 Geometric Data Topography The intervening terrain has been modelled by directly importing ground contours provided by the City of New Westminster and the City of Surrey. 18 PAGE BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017

28 The layout and dimensionss of the Project terminal, its nearby facilities, and road and rail were taken from drawings and geo-referenced CAD files provided by the project engineers, CMC Engineering, and imported into the model. Residential building heights were estimated using field observations, Google Street View and were otherwise assumed to be five metres high Ground Surface The acoustic properties of the ground surface can have a considerable effect on the propagation of noise. Flat non-porous surfaces, such as concrete, asphalt, buildings, calm water, etc., are highly reflective to noise, and according to ISO have a ground constant of G=0. Soft, porous surfaces, such as foliage, loam, soft grass, snow, etc., are highly absorptive to noise, and have a ground constant of G=1. The ISO standard does not use intermediate ground constants. Highly reflective surfaces have been modelled in most areas as most of the surfaces near the site are considered to be acoustically hard, including nearby roadways and the water of the Fraser River Obstacles The layout and dimensionss of the Project s buildings and equipment were incorporated into the model based on drawings and details provided by CMC Engineering. Orthophotos from Google landmarks. Maps were used to identify other acoustically important objects or 7.9 Limitations For sound calculated using the ISO 9613 standard, the indicated accuracy is ± 3 dba for source- beyond 1000 to-receiver distances of up to 1000 metres. Accuracy is unknown at distances metres. Distances from various points on the Project site to residential receivers in Surrey are typically less than 1000 metres. For the receivers in the New Westminster area,, the distance from the Project site is greater than 1000 meters. The sound power levels (SWL) for the equipment for stationary equipment weree provided by CMC Engineering. For mobile equipment, SWL were estimated based on previous measurements of similar equipment conducted by BKL. In general, for individually modelled noise sources that are based on book dataa (fixed and mobile equipment, roads and railways), the estimated accuracy of the sound power levels provided by third parties is ± 5 dba. For road traffic sound prediction on busy roads, BKL has found model results for source to receiver distances of less than 100 m to generally be within ± 1 dba of measured levels. HEMMERA 19 PAGE

29 8 PREDICTED NOISE LEVELS 8.1 Total Noise A summary of the Total noise for the baseline and future scenarios for each receiver group is shown in Table 8.1 below. Sound contours are presented in Appendix G and detailed results by receiver are presented in tabular form in Appendix H. Total Noise is predicted to increase at all receivers because traffic volumes are assumed to increase and no noise-generating activities are being removed as part of the Project, only new activities are being added to the Site. However, as shown above, the averagee increase in noise level is less than 2 dba for all groups, with Group 1, 4 and 5 having a predicted increase of less than 1 dba. While the highest increase in noise level for the future scenario is 1.8 dba, the Total Noise is predicted to increase by less than 1 dba for the majority of the receivers. Further analysis of the sources of noise show that, while the Total noise level is increasing once the Project is operational, noise from the Project is not the dominant noise source in the area. This is illustrated in Table 8.2, which presents the partial noise levels for five receivers, the receiver with the highest change in %HA in each group, to illustrate the relative contribution of the different activities in the area. The location of the five receivers is shown in Figure 8.1. The noise sources have been grouped together by activities. Some equipment will be operational for more than one activity. The activities have been grouped in the categories of: Receiving (receiving the product from trains), Shipping (transferring product to docked vessels), FRASER GRAIN TERMINAL EXPORT FACILITY Table 8.1 Summary of Predicted Noise Levels Total noise, L de en (dba) Increase in Total Noise with FGT Group L den (dba) %HA Baseline Future Average Max Average Max Loading (all non-vessel loading activities including loading of containers, trucks and rail cars) and Transfer to Silos (conveyors transferring material to silos during the night-time period). The groups have been defined based on the information provided by CMC which indicated which noise sources would be in use for each operating activity. Please refer to Appendix F for a full list of modelled noise sources. 20 PAGE BKL CONSULTANTS LTD A REVISION 5 JUNE 2017