Watercourse Installers Now Environmentally Trained

Nova Scotians who alter watercourses with structures such as bridges and culverts will have access to a training program that provides them with tools and expertise to better protect streams and other water habitats.

"The Watercourse Alteration Certification program provides participants with the education, tools and expertise they need to perform watercourse alterations in an environmentally responsible way," said Carolyn Bolivar-Getson, Minister of Environment and Labour.

People holding the certificate not only become experts in watercourse alteration, but they can also apply for an annual blanket watercourse alteration approval.

Under an annual blanket approval, certified installers are required to make only one application and pay only one fee for all the work they do in Nova Scotia.

"This both saves companies and individuals time and money," said Ms. Bolivar-Getson. "Equally important, the environment is better protected by these certified individuals."

The training program is open to anyone who plans, sizes, installs or supervises watercourse alterations such as single span bridges, culverts and temporary bridges.

"The Watercourse Alteration Certificate training program is a must for any individual involved in installation of culverts and small bridges," said John Gilbert, manager, fish and wildlife, J.D. Irving Limited. "In fact, graduation from this course is a requirement for all J.D. Irving Limited road construction crews who work near water."

The Watercourse Alteration Certification program is available through the partnership of several organizations. The New Brunswick Department of Environment produced the original manual.

Technical experts from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour adapted the manual to Nova Scotia's standards. The Maritime College of Forest Technology is the sole provider of this course.

The certification training and blanket approval supports the objectives of the department's Competitiveness and Compliance Initiative. Watercourses are better protected by certifying experts and at the same time unnecessary administrative costs for business are reduced. In addition, staff spend less time doing paper work and more time in the field conducting audits of the watercourse alterations.

The next Watercourse Alteration Certification program will run from March 27 to 31 and again from May 15 to 19 in Truro. For more information on this program contact Paul Schwartz at 902- 424-5206, e-mail [email protected], or visit the Maritime College of Forest Technology's website at www.mcft.ca/for_sch.htm .