Leachate sample collected from Richmond Landfill received at the Greater Napanee sewage plant for treatment before being released into the Napanee River. The sludge is spread on regional farms as a solid
waste fertilizer.

1,4 Dioxane

This leachate contains 1,4 dioxane, a chemical highly soluble in water, does not bind to soils and readily leaches into groundwater. It is also resistant to naturally occurring biodegradation processes. While there is not yet a drinking water standard set in Ontario, the concentrations found in off-site wells far exceeds the drinking water criteria established in most American States. 1,4 dioxane cannot be treated with conventional water treatment practices.

As we step into the new year, concerned citizens enter year sixteen in stopping Waste Management (WM) from trying again to build a mega dump on fractured bedrock in Napanee. In 2006, the Minister of Environment turned down the company’s first attempt because of its failure to adequately characterize the complex geology at the site.

In 2012 the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) allowed WM to start an environmental assessment of a second proposal to build a mega dump in Napanee. However, the environmental assessment process has been stalled since concerned citizens forced WM to undertake proper investigations in the closure of its existing 60 year old Richmond Landfill.

WM’s Richmond Landfill closure plan is currently being challenged by local residents and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) in a process under the Environmental Review Tribunal, an independent and quasi-judicial body of Ontario. The investigations have been revealing and the results disturbing.

Last week, the Concerned Citizens Committee of Tyendinaga and Environs (CCCTE) held a press conference in Napanee to inform the broader public of the results of these investigations. A massive leachate plume has moved off WM’s property and onto adjacent properties and has contaminated six private wells. Five of these properties have been purchased by WM. The leachate contains 1,4 dioxane, classified as a probable carcinogen. Off-site contamination from the landfill (which also includes other chemicals) exceeds the MOE’s Reasonable Use policy guidelines.

The senior hydrogeologist for the CCCTE, Wilf Ruland, stated, ” The only reason the off-site contamination was found, was diligent sleuthing by hydrogeologists working for the CCCTE, MBQ and MOE. It was the CCCTE, MBQ, and MOE hydrogeologists who in 2012 and 2013 raised and documented concerns about off-site contamination and Reasonable Use policy exceedances.”

Napanee’s closest neighbors, Tyendinaga Township and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, have partnered with the CCCTE to hold WM accountable for the leaking landfill. In light of WM’s poor performance in understanding the site conditions of their closed landfill, it is clear the company should not be given permission to build a new mega dump beside the leaking old one. We must work together to make sure it is never approved.

Stephen Bruce Medd
Greater Napanee
Concerned Citizens Committee of Tyendinaga and Environs (CCCTE)

Details on what is known about the spread of leachate south of the Richmond Landfill are discussed in this information bulletin from the Concerned Citizens.

Information is offered about the contaminant found in test wells.