In our May 3, 2021 blog (“PFAS Contamination and Release to Lake Ontario”), we briefly reported on the PFAS contamination from a Department of National Defence (DND) site in North Bay, Ontario.
Now, according to North Bay Councillor, Chris Mayne, the City of North Bay and the DND have reached a “huge agreement.”
Background
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of more than 9,000 chemicals that have been used in consumer and industrial products (including firefighting foam) for decades. They are ubiquitous throughout the environment and across the globe. They have been used in consumer products ranging from carpeting and clothing to food wrappers and makeup.
Globally, PFAS advisory levels, and in some cases enforceable regulatory levels, are set in the parts per trillion level. For perspective, a part per trillion is equivalent to one second over 32,000 years.
Certain PFAS chemicals are believed to cause health effects ranging from cancer to developmental issues for babies in utero.
For an overview (including short videos) of PFAS and where they are used in everyday products, as well as other PFAS resources see Dragun’s PFAS Resource Page.
The presence of PFAS in North Bay has been attributed to the use of the firefighting foam call Aqueous Film-Forming Foam or AFFF (Image source www.northbay.ca).
PFAS in North Bay
The presence of PFAS in North Bay has been attributed to the use of the firefighting foam call Aqueous Film-Forming Foam or AFFF.
According to an article in Canadian Military Family Magazine, “In the past, DND had used firefighting foams containing PFAS at this location. These firefighting training programs took place throughout the early 1970s – mid 1990s and were conducted according to accepted regulations.”
Since 2017, the City of North Bay has taken over more than a thousand drinking water, surface water, groundwater, sediment, and soil samples.
According to the North Bay Perry Sound District Health Unit, “PFAS have been detected in Trout Lake, Lees Creek, North Bay Jack Garland Airport, the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) North Bay, and monitoring wells located near CFB North Bay.”
Classification of Contaminated Sites in Canada
Prioritizing the assessment and remediation of sites of potential environmental contamination (such as North Bay) involves classifying their risk.
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment’s (CCME) National Classification System for Contaminated Sites (NCSCS) is a method for evaluating contaminated sites according to their current or potential adverse impact on human health and the environment.
Sites are ranked according to their risk (not relative risk compared to other sites). There are three classifications of risk:
- Class 1: High Priority for Action – NCSCS Score greater than 70
- Class 2: Medium Priority for Action – NCSCS Score between 50 and 69.9
- Class 3: Low Priority for Action – NCSCS Score between 37 and 49.9
- Class N: Not a Priority for Action – NCSCS Score less than 37
The site in North Bay is a Class 1 Site.
The “Huge PFAS Agreement”
The formal title of the agreement between The City of North Bay and the Department of National Defence is, Contribution Agreement – between – Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada – and – The Corporation of the City of North Bay – concerning – Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (“PFAS”) at the North Bay Airport Lands.
According to 5.1 of the Contribution Agreement, “Subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, DND’s total Contribution to the City for the Project under this Agreement will not exceed ninety seven percent (97%) of Eligible Costs up to a maximum of $19.4M.” That is the huge agreement.
The next step for the City of North Bay is to issue a request for proposal for environmental consulting/remediation services.
If you need assistance with PFAS or another environmental matter, please contact our Windsor office at 519-948-7300 or send us an email at info@dragun.com. You can also sign up for our monthly environmental newsletters.
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