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Controversial sludge pile being removed |
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January 24, 2008
Posted By Matthew Van Dongen, St. Catharines Standard
About 36,000 tonnes of paper-waste sludge piled in Fenwick are about to disappear.
It’s quite the magic trick.
And neighbours of the “sludge mountain” at 325 Church St. found out Thursday night they’re the magicians.
“We move mountains,” a jubilant Carolyn Botari said soon after being told the Thorold paper recycler who piled the sludge in a berm near her home two years ago will take it back, starting as early as Monday.
“We had two goals, right from the start,” added grinning neighbour Lynda Kis.
“One was to stop these berms from being built anywhere in Ontario. The other was to get rid of this one.”
They’ll get their wish after Abitibi Consolidated and the berm
landowner agreed to truck the controversial waste material back to the
Thorold recycling plant it came from.
The provincial Ministry of the Environment will monitor the planned
removal of 3,200 tonnes a day, which should empty the Fenwick property
by April 30, weather permitting.
The berm sludge is officially called paper-fibre biosolids, the waste left over after paper recycling.
Abitibi paid a contractor in June of 2006 to build the berm, which the landowner planned to use as a barrier to railroad noise.
But the pile enraged neighbours who abhorred the stench and feared
contaminated runoff would pollute local groundwater and wells.
Abitibi maintained that properly covered with soil, the material was inert and safe.
MOE testing eventually showed runoff was toxic to the environment.
Subsequent owners of the property failed to cover the berm or
permanently stop contaminated water from leaving the site, despite
repeated ministry orders and an ongoing investigation.
Residents’ anger overflowed, too, because an Environmental Protection
Act exemption allows the berm building to go unregulated by the MOE.
(Similar berms have sparked outrage across Ontario, from Oshawa to Orillia.)
The ministry will monitor the move to Thorold “very carefully,” local MOE district manager Rich Vickers said.
“Our role is to make sure it goes smoothly, to avoid the issues that surrounded the construction of the berm,” he said.
Residents constantly complained about odour and escaping runoff, said
Vickers, who estimated ministry staff inspected the site at least 70
times.
Cold weather, combined with a ministry-approved plan to keep the work area small, should keep odours to a minimum, Vickers said.
The berm will be rebuilt near Abitibi’s existing landfill, which has sewage treatment capacity for any runoff.
“We’re pleased Abitibi and the landowner came to an agreement,” said Vickers, who noted the ministry didn’t order the move.
“We’ll be pleased to be able to pay more attention to other environmental matters in Niagara.”
Vickers and current property owner Dirk Breugem both attended a meeting at Pelham’s town hall to tell neighbours about the plan.
Breugem said trucks should be “ready to rock ’n’ roll” on Monday.
The landowner, who still faces a ministry investigation over berm
runoff, admitted he wasn’t prepared for the reaction of neighbours when
he bought 325 Church St., berm and all.
“Totally, not at all,” he said Thursday night. “I’m happy to say we can remove the berm. I’m happy they’re happy.”
Breugem said he’s worked out an agreement with Abitibi to remove the berm, but declined to discuss the details or the cost.
Breugem has repeatedly said he doesn’t think the berm is dangerous to
the environment. But he said Thursday he’s glad it will disappear
because he wants to expand his business, Greenland Greenhouses Inc.
Abitibi representatives didn’t attend the meeting and The Standard couldn’t reach any by phone Thursday night.
Vickers said the company approached the ministry in December with the
idea of moving the berm, citing the long-term cost of runoff
containment and environmental monitoring.
Abitibi will also monitor ground and surface water during and after the removal, and report the results to the MOE, he said.
Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn praised the landowner and Abitibi for their partnership.
He noted Abitibi had agreed to stop building new berms at the end of 2006.
“That’s being a good corporate citizen,” Augustyn said after the
meeting. “That proves their commitment to a long-term solution.”
He saved his biggest praise — and biggest surprise — for residents, who didn’t know why they had been called to the meeting.
“I didn’t think we’d see this day, even though we’ve worked for it,” he said.
“That speaks to the determination of (neighbours) to keep this issue in the forefront.”
Longtime sludge protester Randy Desnoyers admitted to being “shocked and awed” by the announcement.
“Nobody saw it coming,” he said with a grin. “For once, I’m at a loss for words.”
Lloyd Climenhage, who lives across the road from the berm and
faithfully documented its leaks and odours, told The Standard last fall
he dreamed the sludge mountain would disappear.
“It looks like sometimes dreams do come true,” he said.
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