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An incredibly important story. LONG THREAD here. The people in GFW should be fully aware of what they're getting themselves into taking over that site.
For some added context to the CBC report, I was hoping to flag to the information about the site that's already in government's hands, but I don't see it online. It really should be posted. (I stand to be corrected, so if anyone sees it holler)
One of the key documents is the first environmental report following the expropriation. It was by Conestoga-Rovers Associates (sometimes referred to just as CRA). We've reported on the details before at The Telegram. I've read it and have a copy somewhere at the office. (1/2)
To rid some speculation, here's some of what was found: arsenic in the soil throughout the site, at least two stockpiles of a mixture of elemental sulphur and petroleum hydrocarbon, abandoned oil drums, scattered scrap metal...
...and at least four on-site dumps - two independently confirmed as containing hazardous materials. That's in the ground.
That's also what was determined. CRA visited the site with another environmental consultant, working for Abitibi, and a 20-year mill employee, the latter "were both instructed by Abitibi not to provide CRA with any details regarding facility activities, processes and history."
And while areas might be recorded as one thing on a map, they're often even nastier in detailed description. For example, CRA noted the asbestos disposal site also mentioned by a former contractor in work after the site tour...
"The former Abitibi contractor indicated that other wastes, possibly including drums of PCBs were disposed of at this area," stated the CRA report. It noted 17 drums, once containing herbicides, were said to have been disposed of at the same location.
"Although requested for health and safety purposes, Abitibi did not provide CRA with Grand Falls Site Drawings depicting subsurface structures."
There was separate "sludge disposal site" on the mill property, w solids from the wastewater treatment system; an "industrial waste disposal site" of unlined pits and "Chicco's Landing" where elemental sulphur and iron sulphide compounds were dumped and covered (60s, 70s).
"CRA observed that some of the waste within the industrial waste disposal site had entered the adjacent wetlands and liquid was seeping from the industrial waste disposal site into the adjacent wetlands."
When the provincial government started on the buildings, contractors were asked to avoid disturbing the ground at site as much as possible. "Except for crushed concrete previously noted, no materials are to be buried on site," noted the request for proposals from GovNL
Al Hawkins was mayor in GFW when I reported all of this, but not to make it a partisan thing, there was talk of the town taking over when Susan Sullivan was MHA as well as now.
Not saying town shouldn't consider brownfield site. Not my place. And on flip, some pretty nasty spots here have been recovered w work, time and $. The old base at Argentia is eg, but a big piece of that is big investment by Husky Energy to develop valuable industrial facility.
It's just important to know how much of the liability, balanced against possibility, has been considered. And tied to that, how well do you know the current liabilities?
