Wednesday, January 6, 2016.

An Environmental Review Tribunal has ordered improvements on the Richmond Landfill in Greater Napanee be imposed.
In the lengthy decision, the Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) has ordered the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) to impose significant improvements to Waste Management’s Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP) for the now-closed Richmond Landfill.
Following days of testimony and evidence in the spring of 2015, the ERT released a decision on Dec. 24 outlining its findings and recommendations.
The tribunal process was initiated by an appeal filed in 2012 by the Concerned Citizens group. In the spring and summer of 2015, the tribunal held weeks of public hearings which enabled the parties (Concerned Citizens, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Napanee Green Lights, WM and MOECC) to present factual, technical and scientific evidence regarding the Richmond Landfill and its off-site impacts.
The ERT found the landfill is contaminating groundwater beyond the boundary of the landfill and private, domestic wells have been contaminated. Waste Management will continue to provide alternative water supplies to the affected residences if occupied.
According to the ERT, the hydrogeological complexity of the site makes groundwater monitoring extremely difficult and the chemical 1,4-dioxane is the best indicator of leachate impacts for this site.
“The conclusions were that we’ve been right all along,” said Concerned Citizens chairman Ian Munro Wednesday afternoon. “I wonder where we’d be if we hadn’t been nipping at everyone’s heels all these years.”
The review document states there is evidence of leachate-contaminated groundwater in certain monitoring wells to the north and northwest of the landfill footprint and to the south and southeast of the landfill footprint extending to south of Beechwood Road. There is evidence that suggests an emerging concern there may be contaminated groundwater to the east of the site, north of Beechwood Road.
Further, contingency action is needed to bring the site into compliance with regulatory requirements; and a strict 1µg/l limit for 1,4-dioxane shall be used to determine how far off-site the leachate plume has spread.
The fight against the landfill has been ongoing for years and has taken huge amounts of work, effort and money by community members. “We’d probably have a much, much, much bigger landfill out there that would have been approved years ago. That was rejected in large measure because of our efforts,” said Munro.
He said without the efforts of concerned citizens and other groups involved, the current tribunal would have never happened.
“All the information that has come out as a result of that being made public shows that this landfill has been totally, incompetently monitored for many years.
“What we’ve learned now should have been known 20 years ago or 15 years ago at the minimum and we’re only just getting there now. It’s appalling. It’s taken all this effort on the part of the public and the local community to get the company and the ministry to do the job they should have done years ago.”
Munro first got involved with the group in 2003 and said these processes have been “absolutely time frustrating, time consuming and expensive.”
It is estimated the group has spent at least $200,000 since the late 1990s on fighting the expansions at the Richmond Landfill.
But there’s more work to do. In this tribunal, there is one step to be completed. He said the tribunal has directed all involved parties to provide agreed-upon wording for the implementation of the environmental compliance approval.
“It has to be formalized in writing and put into the licence, basically.”
That step should happen in the month or two, he said.
Apart from the current threat of the existing landfill, Munro said another proposal by Waste Management “to put, basically, four more of those landfills right beside it” is “looming” above the communities.
“That proposal is still on the books. We think this process has demonstrated that they cannot monitor this site adequately, so, what are they thinking?”
That proposal, for the “Beechwood Road Environmental Centre” was initially introduced around 2010 and the terms of reference for that project were ultimately approved in 2012.
Information regarding the project, on the Ministry of Environment website, states the proposed undertaking includes a new secure engineered landfill on a new footprint located north or northeast of the current Richmond Landfill. The new landfill is one component of the proposed Beechwood Road Environmental Centre, which is an integrated waste management facility comprising residential diversion, materials recycling, organics processing, construction and demolition and electronic waste handling facilities. The new landfill footprint is expected to have a total capacity of about 13 million cubic metres. It will include a liner system, leachate collection and landfill gas collection systems.
“It’s just a looming threat that’s sitting there, we’re well aware it’s potentially coming,” he said. “It’s ridiculous and totally irresponsible.”
Mike Bossio, MP for the Hastings, Lennonx and Addington riding, said he was gratified the tribunal has recognized the challenges of the site.
He served as the chairman of the group for several years but stepped back once elected as MP last year.
“All of this stuff could have been done a long time ago, if Waste Management and Ministry of Environment were doing their job.
“I’m gratified, and I’m hopeful that we are going to finally get to the bottom of this and determine the full extent of the contamination and the monitoring plan will finally have some teeth in it.”
Both Bossio and Munro lauded the efforts of the citizens’ group, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and the Napanee Green Lights group.
“I am just so proud of the Concerned Citizens group and the incredible work they have done. It really is a sad state when we have to rely on a small community organization to fund a fight like this and let alone fight the fight in the first place,” Bossio said. “This really was unnecessary. If the company and MOE were doing their jobs we wouldn’t have to do it for them.”
Bossio, too, is concerned about the Beechwood Road Environmental Centre and said the site is unsuitable for a landfill.
“One of the most unsuitable sites for a landfill in all of Ontario, so put an end to it. There’s no reason that our community should have to go through this.”
Chief Don Maracle of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte made a similar statement, saying, “We are very pleased with some of the outcomes of the hearing, but very disturbed at the financial burden on our community and others. We hope the environmental protection will continue, but that the cost will ultimately be borne by the company responsible for these problems, Waste Management.”
Other key findings of the ERT include the former Lewis Meats abattoir is not a significant source of contaminants in groundwater, contrary to WM assertions; the full geographic extent of the leachate plume has not been fully delineated by WM despite extensive fieldwork; the farm property southeast of the landfill requires further investigation for groundwater impacts; testing of private wells every two years along Belleville Road is ordered; a study into the potential impact of existing and proposed pipelines south of the landfill has been ordered; and use of a blast trench as a contingency option has been eliminated from the EMP.

The Concerned Citizens have offered to meet and brief all local candidates in the upcoming election. Most have accepted the offer. We have also offered to publish their statements on the issue. The following are direct transcriptions of the statements provided. Any additional statements will be published as they are received.

Robert Dorey – Napanee Mayor

More time and more research have only served to show more conclusively that the Richmond Landfill site is hazardous to its neighbours and to our community as a whole. As Mayor of Greater Napanee, I will ensure our town finds a responsible solution to our garbage issue by seeking out innovative, cost-effective means of reducing our overall garbage output. We can deal with our garbage by improving our recycling programme, by promoting composting at home and introducing a green bin programme to our community, by contracting with better landfill sites and researching alternatives to landfilling, and by cooperating with our regional partners to come up with a safer, healthier, long-term solution to managing the region’s waste.

Steve Medd – Napanee Councillor Ward 3

Recent scientific evidence (agreed to by the Ministry of Environment) has established that the Richmond Landfill is leaking leachate into the groundwater far off-site. Leachate has contaminated 6 off-site private domestic wells, which together with a significant swath of countryside are contaminated to above limits of the Ministry of the Environment’s Reasonable Use Policy. The contaminated groundwater contains numerous chemicals, including an industrial chemical called 1,4 dioxane which has been classified by the US. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a probable carcinogen.
The leaking Richmond Landfill and the proposed massive BREC Landfill pose a clear and present threat to the future of Greater Napanee and our closest neighbours: Tyendinaga Township, Deseronto and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario has called it arguably one of the worst places in Ontario to build a landfill because of the complex fractured bedrock
Polluting activities like massive landfills will attract other polluting industries. The lands that they occupy and adjacent lands become sacrifice zones, which suffer ongoing air quality and water quality impacts. The Richmond Landfill is contaminating a groundwater aquifer that was once used for residential purposes and agricultural purposes like irrigation and watering livestock.
The economic lifespan of BREC is 20 years. The contaminating lifespan of BREC is hundreds of years. Our agriculture and tourism industries have longevities measured in generations – so why would we undermine these long term enterprises for the sake of 20 years of short term profit, which would be flowing to a US-based company?
Leachate from the Richmond Landfill is presently trucked into Napanee, pumped into the sewer system and then processed at the Napanee Water Pollution Control Plant. The provincial government only requires the analysis and treatment of a small percentage of the tens of thousands of chemicals found in leachate.
As the eastern gateway to the Bay of Quinte, Greater Napanee is blessed with four beautiful waterways: the Napanee River, Long Reach, Hay Bay and Adolphus Reach. These waters bring economic benefits to our community as well as great pleasure to fisherman, boater and hikers. Why then would we allow untreated leachate chemicals to slowly build up in the water and sediments of these natural treasures?
Over the years many people have invested their heart and soul, time and money into making Napanee a vibrant sports town and a place of healthy living. Many other people have committed themselves to building a top-calibre hospital we know as the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital, another beacon of healthy living.
The starting point for good health is nature’s infrastructure: clean water, air and soil. If we take a healthy environment for granted when deciding what developments to support, then we undermine important priorities like sustainable economic development, cultural development and the promotion of healthy living.
Napanee can do its part in managing waste by enhancing residential composting and recycling; and by attracting private investments to build a regional material separation facility or enclosed composting facility. However, the complex fractured bedrock in our region makes it an unwise and unhealthy choice for massive landfilling.

Ian Munro – Napanee Councillor Ward 4

The ongoing Environmental Review Tribunal appeal process regarding the monitoring of the Richmond landfill has demonstrated conclusively that Waste Management has been unable to identify massive leakage of contaminants into the vulnerable aquifer used by residents of Greater Napanee for drinking. This situation has existed for years and has still not been fully characterized despite aggressive pressure from citizens and local communities over all those years. There can be no confidence that this company could identify, locate and contain any leaks from the proposed BREC landfill which would be four times larger than the existing dump. Under MOE regulations the BREC landfill cannot LEGITIMATELY be approved under the Environmental Assessment Act given this glaring flaw.

I would fully support a Greater Napanee council resolution indicating the community is an unwilling host for the BREC megadump. I would support a resolution urging Waste Management to withdraw its plan for the BREC landfill. I also fully support the proposal submitted by citizens and local communities which urged the Ontario government to make it illegal to site new or expanded mega-landfills on fractured bedrock bases due to the risks of groundwater contamination.

Catherine Houard – Deseronto Councillor

I want to start by saying that Municipal Government is not new to me. I am employed with the County of Hastings and I carry out my duties with the goal of making it easy and comfortable for Residents to access our programs.
People expect that they can trust the information that they receive from their Government, at all levels, and they deserve just that. Unfortunately, it appears that the opposite of this happened when it comes to the Richmond Landfill. And even more unfortunately, people are now paying the price for that, and to say this upsets me, would be an understatement.
Heading into the Municipal Election, it is important for the Residents of the Town of Deseronto to know just how this situation affects them and how their Candidates feel about it. The contamination from the Richmond Landfill has been making its’ way through rivers and streams into the Bay of Quinte, the source of our drinking water. This directly affects Deseronto because it has the potential to diminish the quality of our drinking water and increase the Town’s cost of treating the water coming in from the Bay.
It is important for small communities to support each other, and if elected to Deseronto Town Council, you can expect my support to ensure that we preserve the quality of our drinking water for years to come.
Again, thank you for making contact with me about this vital issue.

Trish Dickinson – Deseronto Councillor

I strongly oppose any expansion of Richmond Landfill/ BREC.
If elected I will work with The Town of Deseronto Council to stand united with our neighbours in Tyendinaga Township, Greater Napanee and the Mohawks of Bay of Quinte to oppose any expansion of the Richmond Landfill/BREC.

Todd Steele – Stone Mills Reeve

Although outside the borders of Stone Mills, I feel that this issue affects the entire region. I fully appreciate that our waste has to go somewhere, but I feel that WM’s site in Carp or, preferrably, the LaFleche Environmental Centre is the best choice. The province needs to take a leadership role in how we get rid of our waste. If approved, the decision to allow the BREC is short-sighted at best.”

As the municipal elections approach The Concerned Citizens Committee are working to make the proposed expansion of the Richmond Landfill the major issue. Most candidates have accepted our offer to have a briefing on the latest developments at the landfill. The support received has been gratifying. Residents of Napanee and neighbouring communities will receive in their mail this poster. Voters are encouraged to find out where the candidates stand and vote accordingly.

With a passion for his town, its culture and natural environment, Stephen Medd has decided his unique experiences and areas of expertise could be put to good around the council table. Which is why the long-time community organizer and activist has decided to put his name forward as a candidate for the Oct. 27 municipal election in Greater Napanee.

Medd filed his nomination papers last week for Ward 3 in downtown Napanee, a seat that is currently occupied by Marg Isbester who has thrown her hat into the ring for the position of Deputy Mayor in the upcoming vote.

His decision to file now came as much from his personal circumstances as much as a driving desire to make a demonstrable difference as an elected municipal official. He and his wife Kathy’s two daughters are now grown and have moved out of the house, allowing the devoted family man more time to focus on community causes – including running for council.

“Probably the biggest reason I am running is that I have been actively involved in the dump fight for a long time, 15 or 16 years now. And that is one of the motivating factors. It’s because in my mind there is very little discussion over what may be one of Napanee’s biggest environmental issues in its history. So I am hoping to bring a voice, if I am elected, to the new council that would actually discuss this issue,” Medd told the Greater Napanee News at his home late last week.

“When we won the battle [against the planned expansion of the Richmond Landfill] back in 2006, council at that time was quite vocal and motions were actually passed to be an unwilling host to any landfill expansion or any new landfill out at that site. This is an important issue and it needs to be discussed publically and I hope to bring it up and I hope to have the new council reaffirm the previous non-willing host motion that they had done before.”

Medd said he wants the new council to ensure that Waste Management and the provincial government knows that the proposed Beechwood Road Environmental Centre, which is still going through the approval process, is not wanted.

“Outside the fact that the current landfill site is leaking – we know that all landfills leak – with the BREC, even though it will have a modern liner, that liner has never been tested to be sure it will last for more than 25 years. It will only defer the problems for future generations. And basically if it goes ahead, it will be a ticking environmental time bomb.”

And Medd knows of what he speaks, earlier in his working life he was a geologist and then became an environmental researcher.

“I worked for many years as geologist both in mining exploration and environmental work for more than 18 years. And I have personally managed the drilling of tens of thousands of feet of fractured bedrock,” he said, noting that is the material on which much of the land around here is resting upon.

But he was quick to point out that he is not running as a one-issue candidate. He also wants to help Greater Napanee leverage its arts, culture and heritage assets for both community and economic development purposes.

He played a role in helping develop the Town’s new Cultural Plan and in the past was the co-founder of Music by the River, a music series that used to take place down along the shore of the Napanee River Sunday afternoons in Conservation Park. He was also the co-founder of the Quinte Spirit Festival, a music and arts series that promoted not only the local creative community, but also promoted awareness and appreciation for local heritage and environmental issues.

At the time, the group put out CDs featuring budding area musicians – one of whom was a very young Avril Lavigne. The recording she made at that time helped launch her career.

“I have been involved in the arts and heritage and culture, with an emphasis on the youth of this town, for quite a while. Opportunities for youth are important. It’s something I am passionate about. And I understand the significance of arts, culture and heritage to community development. One of the other reasons I am running is the cultural plan that came out recently. I was ecstatic about that, and I really want to jump on board and be a part of that if I am elected.

“There are many good things the current council has done, but I believe they need my expertise on certain issues, perhaps to confidently speak against big, potentially polluting projects.”

One of those areas of expertise is Medd’s latest career endeavour – information technology. Since 2005 he has been a database administrator at Loyalist College in Belleville.

“I would like to try and leverage that in attracting people involved with IT or high-tech businesses like software development. Small operations look at beautiful areas like this which they see as playgrounds and great areas to locate because they have the best of both worlds. And with IT and all those sorts of things you can do it from any corner of the country. Napanee is really suited for that sort of thing,” he said.

“We already have a pretty vibrant small and medium-sized manufacturing centre here and I am aware of some of the great things they are doing. And in this day and age, high-tech goes hand in hand with manufacturing, so that is certainly one sector of our local economy that does have some vitality in this town and I would work to promote and bring in complimentary businesses.

“Also it’s important in the whole area of small business development to bring our youth back here. Attracting youth back town after they go away to get their education and training is really important. We need that energy and creativity here. Momentum and success has a way of creating more momentum and success. And there is momentum here now; I feel it, in all aspects.”

Medd said he would make a good town councillor because of his ability to listen, to be a conciliator and someone who like to work collectively to come up with solutions to problems. Besides the volunteer work already mentioned, he has also been a member of the Optimist Club and Kinsmen Club, a member of the Friends of the Salmon River, and had a position on the Greater Napanee Solid Waste Advisory Committee. He has also volunteered with the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario helping find affordable housing for people living with mental illness. Currently, he is a member of the Concerned Citizens Committee of Tyendinaga and Environs and the Loyalist College Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee.

“I think I am a fair person. I believe in listening to people and brainstorming and trying to come up with solutions to problems. I want to seek out the concerns of the people of Ward 3 and Napanee at large. It’s important to understand the needs and concerns of local people and local businesses and I hope to work towards that over the next few months leading up to the election and better understand the issues,” he said.

“I have had three main careers, so I have had to learn and adapt fast to many different things. And I know council wrestles with a huge number of difficult topics. I respect the challenges they have and I also recognize that you can’t know everything. So it’s important that we seek out advice and consultation from people on council who have different areas of expertise.

“If an agricultural issue comes up, I would go to the person on council who is a farmer. If there is something specific to running a business, I am going to go to the councillor who has first-hand experience with that. I recognize the need for co-operation and tapping in to each other’s knowledge and experience is important.”

For more information, or to contact Medd, visit www.stephenmedd.ca, email napanee@stephenmedd.ca or call 613-354-6171.

- Jim Barber is the editor of the Greater Napanee News and a veteran community news journalist. Contact him at jim@greaternapaneenews.ca.

A keen observer of the goings-on at Town Hall for a number of years, Ian Munro felt he could make a positive contribution around the council table and has let his name stand for the upcoming municipal election as a candidate for council representing Ward 4.

A 22-year veteran of the Canadian Forces, Munro was an Air Force engineering officer who servedthroughout Canada, including National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, as well as a stint in Australia. After leaving the Forces and settling in Napanee more than 15 years ago, he has consulted for the Canadian Department of National Defence, NATO and the United Nations.

More recently, he has become an ace mechanic specializing in vintage car maintenance and restoration. He has also been an integral member of the Concerned Citizens of Tyendinaga and Environs, the group that is the primary opponent to the proposed Beechwood Road Environmental Centre (BREC). But Munro said that the future of the Richmond Landfill and the BREC is only one of many issues that he is concerned about in this campaign.

“It’s true that council has done some good things over the past few years, but one of the things I don’t think they have done that well is looking forward. This election is an opportunity for new candidates and incumbents to talk about what they are going to do for the next four years, but I would like everyone to be talking about what they’re going to be planning for over the next eight years, 10 years or 20 years. I want to hear about their long–term visions for the town,” Munro told the Greater Napanee News.

“I think the town is going in a pretty good direction. But there are some risks out there, some threats to our prosperity that I see and I would like to hear from all the candidates as to how they intend to navigate us past those threats to a long-term, healthy economy and community.”

A staunch defender of popular democracy, Munro also doesn’t care much for acclamations in elections. For the last municipal election, held in the fall of 2010, two of the five council candidates ran unopposed and were acclaimed to their positions – Ward 1s Michael Schenk and Ward 4 incumbent Bill Pierson. Pierson has also filed his nomination papers for the Oct. 27 vote.

“I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the previous municipal elections that there were acclamations. That’s not healthy for democracy. No matter how wonderful the human being is who is mayor or deputy mayor or councillor, those individuals need to be challenged in an election so they can explain what they have got in mind for the next term of council, and so voters and hear what they have to say but also listen to alternative options and be able to make an informed choice.”

Munro feels he would be a good choice for town council because of his approach to the various issues that come before the august body throughout its four-year term.

“I think it’s fair to say that I am a logical thinker and I am able to take positions based on genuine facts as opposed to beliefs and wishes and hopes. So were I elected I would absolutely follow the facts. If the facts suggest that a particular course of action is the right course of action, whether it’s popular or not, I would always be inclined to go with the facts and make the right choice as opposed to the popular choice,” he said.

“My experience in watching things over the last few years is that most times the right choice and the popular choice are the same – but that’s not always the case.”

Munro identified a few issues that he believes are important ones for this campaign, including the aforementioned Richmond Landfill/BREC, the possibility of an aquatics facility, as well as how to combat over-reaching provincial policies and decisions that impact negatively on the municipality.

“As far as I can tell there is no prospect for funding for a pool. I think it’s a ‘motherhood’ statement to say I would like to see a pool in this town. But it’s not fair to suggest that I somehow am going to make that happen. If the funding is not found and it’s determined that $6 million or $7 million for the capital costs, plus the operating costs on top of that, are not affordable, I think we need to be honest with the voters about that,” he said.

“If there is some prospect for some funding for a substantial portion of the costs I would love to hear about it. I would absolutely, in principle, be in favour of Napanee having a pool. Can we afford it? During the campaign we as candidates should be discussing what those prospects are. Are they real?”

As for the BREC, as a member of the CCCTE, Munro has been quite public in his opposition to any sort of expansion by Waste Management to the current landfill and believes most of the members of the current council and the community at large have similar concerns about the proposal – although they may not be as vocal about it.

“In the past council has passed resolutions indicating they are not a willing house to the expansion of the Richmond Landfill and I absolutely support that position. I agree that the current council has been relatively low key in its position on this and hasn’t been aggressively pursuing a stance on it, but I suspect that most current members of council are against the prospect of 450,000 tons of garbage coming here on an unstable location,” he asserted.

“Indications of serious issues going forward are already happening because of the existing landfill. It is well known that the existing landfill is leaking – it is leaking massively and private wells have been impacted. All of these things should be important to the present council. And I would really like to see and hear from the current members of council as to what they think about it and what our council’s position should be on it and what future councils might say and do and respond to these developments.

“But this is one of many issues and I believe that this issue is effectively over. It’s obvious to me and to people who are familiar with the situation, that the BREC mega-dump cannot legitimately be approved by the Ontario government. That doesn’t mean the process is going to stop and it doesn’t mean that there is nothing to worry about. It could still be approved illegitimately by some future government if we are not vigilant. It’s simply now pursuing the process to its logical and just end and putting it behind us. For Ian Munro the candidate, it is a fairly minor issues as I campaign to become a member of council.”

One bigger issue is what he calls the “intrusive” overregulation of both the provincial and federal governments and the impact that it has on local communities and more significantly on municipal taxpayers, particularly in the area of renewable energy.

“I don’t think I have bumped into anybody who isn’t into affordable renewable energy. That’s not the issue – the issue is always implementation. How is it being done? Premier Wynne has admitted that is hasn’t been done very well. And the outrage here in town in just the past 12 months about the prospect of a massive wind turbine proposal being built in the southern portion of town demonstrates that the process for approving these sorts of things is not ideal. So many of the provincial processes do not give those who are affected adequate input and that has to be fixed,” he said.

“As a community we need to be more vocal. Clearly the Town of Greater Napanee itself is not going to move provincial policy, but we cannot just passively accept unjust policies from above simply because they are from above. For example, I think council is doing the right thing in making an issue of OPP policing costs. It’s out of control. Everybody sees that. It needs to be fixed and we are doing the right thing by bringing other municipalities into the discussion.”

Munro also said that as he campaigns in over the next three months he will be finding out what the voters of Ward 4 also think are important issues that need to be addressed.

“The issues I have outlined I think are the big issues – ones that affect everyone in town. But there are issues that will impact smaller groups and even individuals and I want to hear about those. I am ready to listen.”

Munro and wife Marilyn Kendall have lived in Napanee since 1997.

For more information, contact him at 613-354-1828 or email s.cubed14@gmail.com.

- Jim Barber is the editor of the Greater Napanee News. Contact him at jim@greaternapaneenews.ca.

The elevated levels of 1,4 dioxane discovered in wells on properties south of the Richmond Landfill, owned and managed by Waste Management, were discovered through recent testing mandated by the Environmental Review Tribunal’s ongoing mediation of a legal challenge between Waste Management, the CCCTE, and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.

“In spite of Waste Management’s numerous past claims to the contrary, the off-site leachate leakage has occurred for many years and contaminated residential wells,” said hydrogeologist for the CCCTE, Wilf Ruland. “The company had monitored the site and missed it entirely.”

Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Chief R. Donald Maracle is worried for his community’s safety in light of the leakage identified at the landfill.

“There are 600 homes in our community that are reliant on groundwater wells,” said Maracle, at a press conference in Napanee on Jan. 13. “The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte are within the watershed of the Richmond Landfill site. There are three streams at least that can impact our territory….Waste Management denied for several years that there was any off-site contamination. The recent test results confirm that there has been. My concern is the protection of the environment, the protection of human health, the protection of the traditional way of life (of our people).”

Waste Management continues to work towards their proposed Beechwood Road Environment Centre, which would feature a much larger landfill project.

The CCCTE maintains that the site is unsuitable for any landfill activity, due to its geographical makeup and the fact that, in fractured bedrock such as is found underneath the Richmond Landfill site, leachate contaminants can travel quickly and unpredictably.

In a phone interview Monday afternoon, Richmond Landfill site manager Randy Harris commented on the recent groundwater test results.

He said that Waste Management has installed new monitoring wells south of the landfill site so that if leachate continues to spread, they will be the first to know and respond.

“We have a good understanding of the groundwater out here,” said Harris. “We’ve done extensive groundwater testing south of the landfill and we are continuing to do testing.”

Harris said that people need to know that no current residents have had problems with their well water in the vicinity of the landfill except for one resident. Any land contaminated south of the landfill has been purchased by the company to mitigate the problem.

“There was one resident and we supplied him with a whole house water supply, town water brought out and put in tank we installed.”

In response to CCCTE’s request that BREC be taken off the table, Harris said that Waste Management inherited the Richmond Landfill’s problems and that the new landfill will go above and beyond 21st century regulatory requirements.

Harris said that local residents should be aware that Waste Management is handling the situation.

“We know where the groundwater flow is. We know how far it’s gone. We’ve got wells in place now that we’ll know if it goes farther.”

The toxins are close to where a new landfill and recycling centre is being proposed on the Tyendinaga – Napanee border.

Both the owners, the concerned citizens of Tyendinaga, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Reeve Rick Philips told a news conference in Napanee today that a carcinogen called 1-4 dioxin was present in off-site groundwater and some domestic wells in the area.

Pohgek Forgert, a scientist from Queens University was there.

She says 1-4 dioxin poses serious health risks to humans.

** Note: We note that leachate has been found in test wells south of Beechwood Road which is in the Town of Greater Napanee.

Follow The Scoop on-line at http\\www.thescoop.ca

The Battle Rages On!

We live here because we love it here. We love the natural beauty of our forests and fields, and the clear healthy air and water of our lakes and rivers. Most of us have had a relatively small negative impact on the land. But, we have learned not to take all of this for granted. The world’s largest garbage company, Waste Management, have a billion dollar business opportunity here and there are some people who think we should encourage them.

Our economy is not the best and the opportunity to supply trucks, gravel and such is attractive. The company is a big donator to local causes. It is asking us to turn a blind eye to the potential damage to our environment when there is the hope for money to be made. The company sales pitch has influenced some area politicians. This scenario is common to environmental disasters elsewhere in our country.
This is a pretty scary situation. The false argument that a mega-dump here would be positive for our health, reputation, real estate values, and ability to attract new citizens has been accepted by some. Hard to believe.

A dedicated team of volunteers has been working on making sure the Richmond Landfill is properly closed and monitored and to prevent the establishment of a new mega-dump on the same leaky land. The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario has called this “Possibly the worst place for a landfill in Ontario”. With the help of the celebrated environmental lawyer Rick Lindgren, the group has scored some major successes. In 2006 the Minister of the Environment refused Waste Management’s first application for a mega-dump. In 2010 the MOE ordered Richmond Landfill closed. In 2012 the Concerned Citizens were granted Leave to Appeal the terms of the Environmental Monitoring Plan that Waste Management had proposed and the MOE had approved. In 2013 as part of the ongoing Environmental Review Tribunal the company and MOE have signed agreements that acknowledge that the dump is leaking, and that further investigation is required to know the extent of the leaking and to develop proposals for how to contain it.

Every landfill produces leachate. This is a highly toxic liquid that contains thousands of chemicals. Literally everything that goes in the dump leaches out in this liquid. Think of old medication, think of industrial waste, think of old batteries, think of ….
The real danger is that this poison finds it’s way into the ground water, household or farm wells and then the rivers and lakes. It poses a real danger.

As noted in a previous SCOOP article leachate from the dump is trucked daily to an intake behind Napanee District Secondary School. Through the Napanee sewer system, it is delivered to the sewage treatment plant. Sludge from this plant has been finding it’s way to local farmer’s fields and eventually into our food chain. Yikes!

It leaks! After years of denial by Waste Management and the Ministry of the Environment, there is finally a formal acknowledgement that it leaks. Something must be done to find out where it’s going, contain it and prevent further damage.
Evidence of leaking has been found in the data that has been collected by Waste Management over the years. How could they have been denying these leaks for so long? How could the MOE have accepted these denials? These are difficult questions.

As recently as this April a Waste Management ad that appeared in the Beaver and Guide claimed ‘There is no risk to public health or the environment’. Wow!

So the battle rages on. The dedicated Concerned Citizens group has received fantastic support as $20,000 was raised in a raffle to help pay for technical experts. (More is needed). With the help of these experts, they are winning the war of science. All experts now agree that the site is complex and difficult to monitor. There is no question that the site’s fractured bedrock is not a safe place for a mega-dump. Detailed contingency plans are being developed, and new protocols are in place for odour management and public notification.

Just recently, the Concerned Citizens, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and the Canadian Environmental Law Association have collaborated to request Ontario Regulations to be amended to prevent the siting of new landfills or the expansion of existing landfills on geologically unsuitable locations like fractured bedrock. The application also requests that a new regulation would prohibit applications for landfills on or adjacent to sites that have had previous landfill applications declined for environmental reasons. If these requests are granted the Richmond Landfill battle would finally be over!

The final choice to accept or reject the mega-dump, now branded ‘The Beechwood Road ENVIRONMENTAL Centre”, is a political decision. There is still much work to do to convince the politicians and their influencers. Those who would like to help or just keep up to date should check LeakyLand.com.