Prince Rupert city council will be taking concerns about noise levels produced by Westview Terminal to the Prince Rupert Port Authority.
The issue was brought up by at the Jan. 6 meeting by Counc. Anna Ashley, who said those who live near the site are having their quality of life impacted by the pellet exporting operation.
"I have had several people, while not huge noise complaints, who have concerns about the noise from the Pinnacle Pellet terminal. Most report hearing a droning or humming sound that is continually there," she said.
"I am wondering if there is something we can do with enforcing noise bylaws because some of those ships take 30 or 40 hours to load ...it’s one thing to hear that droning sound from seven a.m. to 11 p.m., but if you have to listen to it all night it is something else."
Mayor Jack Mussallem said the issue of noise and how it was being dealt with was part of the environmental assessment that took place before the facility was built.
"We were told there would be off-site monitoring equipment ... and if it showed the noise and dust levels above those agreed to by an operating agreement, the entity would be shut down until it reaches a level agreed upon," he said.
Prince Rupert Port Authority manager of corporate communication Michael Gurney said that would be an extreme consequence, but said the port is aware of people's concerns.
"We have received some comments about Pinnacle's terminal and the noise and have responded to residents," he said, adding the port authority is "actively monitoring" noise levels to ensure they do not exceed acceptable levels.
"If they do exceed certain parameters we are immediately notified and work to mitigate the noise. Those instances have been few and far between and have mostly been associated with construction activity."