Hope resident and conservation volunteer Kate Tyrian was surprised to see the crew begin digging trenches in the river shortly after the salmon arrived. 5} 
Hope resident Kate Tyrian washed her hands on the Coquihala River near her home on July 31. I was excited to see a school of salmon swimming in the water. She was the first to see them arrive, but was horrified to see the excavators drive toward the river a few days later to begin trenching work for the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion.
Trans Mountain said in a statement that its work is being conducted with a permit from the Fisheries Service under the terms of a work plan approved by the Canadian Energy Regulator.
But Tairyan says he is struggling to get an answer as to how the terms of these permits are being complied with.
"In November, we had this crazy flood here and the river banks changed dramatically," he said. their permission.
"And without wasting any time, TMX brought the heavy equipment here and got to work," she added.
Tyrian, a public health professional who teaches at Simon Her Fraser University and volunteers for the Save the Earth group, camps on the riverbank and watches the scene. She becomes more alert.
The work permitted is to use an excavator to install pipes for the Transher Mountain expansion, while at the same time replacing a section of the existing pipeline. It is a trench excavation in the river. Limit environmental impact to the Coquihala River, according to the Trans Mountain Construction Bulletin.
According to the company's statement, "Extreme care has been taken to preserve the environmental character of the area around the river." This includes "aquatic habitats provided within riparian zones".
Diversion pumps are being used to reduce the flow of streams around the excavation site, according to preliminary reports, and experts say "water monitoring is being done throughout the construction process," DFO permits. "Fish Rescue Operations" are being carried out under the BC Ministry of Forestry.
Trans Mountain did not have officials available to answer questions about the work on Tuesday, but said in an emailed statement that all work was "permissible." It is being done in compliance," he said, pointing out the reporter. to its riparian habitat management plan approved by the Canadian energy regulator.
Tairyan said he was still surprised that the DFO allowed Trans Mountain to "enter a river with spawning salmon."
"This blows my mind," said Tairyan, who hopes the DFO will halt work pending further investigation.
Tairyan said it took him a week to call the DFO and have a fisheries officer look at the site, when asked about who was monitoring environmental conditions and when. , there was little response from Trans Mountain.
"You are referring to his TMX line where no one answers the phone," he says, Mr. Tairyan. "My daughter was calling and texting me almost every day, but to no avail." We live on land and look forward to the annual salmon spawning season.
She said the run usually starts in late August, peaks in mid-September, and continues until the end of August.
Tairyan said Trans Mountain had been preparing for the crossing for about two years and issued a notice of construction work earlier this year, she said.
The crew began survey work in June, she added. At that point, she began researching the construction schedule, especially the work around the river. talked about "But as soon as you dig into questions that require specific answers and ask them, they become very vague."
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