As progress is reported on Canada’s largest environmental cleanup at the site in Port Hope, Ontario, more questions are arising.
Canada’s Largest Environmental Cleanup
Some indication of the level of effort associated with this site is that there is a website devoted to the Port Hope Area Initiative, or PHAI. This massive project is complicated by the fact that the historical contamination affects many residents in the area. According to the website, “The Port Hope Project involves the cleanup of historic (sic) low-level radioactive waste and its long-term safe management in an engineered, aboveground mound being built south of Highway 401 and west of Baulch Road in the Municipality of Port Hope.”
Again, based on public information reported on the website, “The Port Hope Project involves the cleanup of approximately 1.2 million cubic metres of historic (sic) low-level radioactive waste from various sites in Port Hope, the construction of an engineered aboveground mound where the waste will be safely contained, and the long-term monitoring and maintenance of the new waste management facility.”
The cleanup of low-level radioactive waste is expected to exceed $1 billion.
Complicating Factors
However, other issues were reported in the media last fall that are providing new complications for the site. One of the main issues of concern is the detection of lead in soil.
Since lead in drinking water gained notoriety in Flint, Michigan, and elsewhere, lead (regardless of source or matrix) has the potential to be a hot-button issue. As reported by the United States Centers for Disease Control, there are no “safe levels of lead in blood.” To our knowledge, the lead detected in the PHAI has been limited to soil.
Lead: Naturally Occurring and Anthropogenic
Based on current reports, the source(s) of lead have not been identified. Lead is both naturally occurring and the result of anthropogenic sources, especially in older industrial operations. This complicates the efforts to try to establish background levels. These complications are briefly discussed in “Elements in North American Soils, Second Edition,” which was published in 2005 by the late Dr. James Dragun and Dr. Khaled Chekiri, P. Eng.
Several years ago, we assisted a client that historically had lead air emissions from an older process prior to current emission standards. In their case, we modeled the air emission from their air stacks, mapped out where the lead was likely to be deposited, and developed a detailed mitigation plan. Because their emissions impacted residential properties, the work included a comprehensive communications plan as well.
Emerging Contaminants
Projects such as the PHAI that span years can also face other complicating factors. For example, emerging contaminants that may have never been considered when the site was originally assessed may arise. As an example, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a relatively new environmental concern. Increasingly, regulators are looking at current and past remediation efforts to see if this group of chemicals should be assessed.
While plans move forward to address the low-level radioactive waste at the PHAI, there will likely be more complicating factors and challenges ahead.
If you have questions about environmental site assessment and remediation efforts, please feel free to contact me at 519-979-7300, Ext. 114.