Salmon Smolt Hatchery Hydrogeological Assessment

Thanks to its new facility in Stephenville, NL, Northern Harvest Sea Farms is one of the largest salmon producers in North America. The site includes three buildings to produce eggs and raise salmon to the smolt stage, where they are then transported to farming sites offshore.

Our hydrogeological assessment helped prevent the project from requiring further environmental assessment by Newfoundland and Labrador Environment and Conservation. The underlying aquifer in the area was assessed to determine it could provide the facility with groundwater of acceptable quantity and quality for short and long term use. We assessed the potential for groundwater to be affected by contamination from off-site sources, as well as the potential for water conflicts between other users of groundwater in the area and sensitive environmental features, such as wetlands.

A monitoring plan assesses potential long term effects of the operation on groundwater levels and quality of groundwater in the surrounding area. We also designed and supervised the construction and testing of two water wells at the site to provide the 2,000 litres/min demand required for the hatchery operation.