Port Metro Vancouver has granted Cargill the go-ahead on a project it hopes will dial down the noise outside the company’s grain terminal on Vancouver’s North Shore.
The company said Tuesday it has received its project permits from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) to set up four sound-absorbing barriers on the trackshed rooftops on the north side of its grain terminal, along with two fan exhaust silencers and eight dust collector silencers.
The project also includes the re-distribution of ventilation fans to reduce noise levels for the nearest residences, the company said in a release.
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"We understand the positive impact that these improvements to our facility will have on reducing the noise levels experienced by the surrounding community, and we are thankful to the VFPA for approving our plans," terminal general manager Gerry Dickie said in the release.
Cargill said Tuesday it has already hired engineers and a construction company for the work and expects to have the job completed this fall.
The company announced in April last year that it would "collaborate" with North Vancouver city hall on what it then described as a "voluntary multi-phase project."
An assessment, which Atco Structures and Logistics prepared for Cargill last May, noted the nearest affected residence is just 150 metres north of the terminal.
When all dust collection systems — the main noise source from the terminal — are operating, the sound level at the most affected residence is 67 decibels, well above the city’s daytime and overnight limits for quiet areas (55 and 45 dB), Atco said.
Cargill’s application to the port authority covers the first of three phases to take place over the next five years. The first phase, including the silencers and sets of 15- and 23-foot-high sound barriers, is expected to cut the noise level at the nearest sensitive residence by five dB.
The project review application form Cargill submitted to the port authority gave a proposed project completion date of March 2013 and estimated the cost for the first phase at about $1.2 million.
Cargill, in announcing the project last April, had said at the time that work would begin in the "next few months" and North Shore residents could expect noise reduction "as early as June 2012."
