PROVINCE INVESTIGATES LANDFILL FIRES

Leduc Representative Article
Posted By Sarah Pay

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LANDFILL EXPANSION IS NOT A GOOD IDEA

Letters to the Editor - Leduc Representative - December 19, 2008

Landfill expansion not a good idea

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ADAMS MINE: AN EXAMPLE OF SUCCESSFUL CITIZEN OPPOSITION TO THE DUMPING OF TOXIC WASTE

• The Adams Mine proposal was a long battle that would have seen Toronto's trash being sent up into a small Northern Ontario town's abandoned mine near Kirkland Lake, Ontario.  The provincial government of Ontario at the time was fully in support of it and so was Toronto city council initially.  There was growing opposition by the town folk, many environmental groups claiming that the toxic waste could seep into the water resources and contaminate the whole area.  It was a 8 year process that was eventually defeated by the McGuinty government in 2003.  I look at it as a successful story of grassroots opposition coming together to fight obvious political strength.  Unfortunately there are not many documented sources on this topic as many events occurred just before the revolution in digital technology.  Here is a link to the wikipedia article on it that gives a concise and great description of the process, along with a few other related links.  Many of the opponents to the mine proposal went on to become big political figures themselves.  - Matthew Tonks - 
  

Adams Mine - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

&lt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams_Mine>

Encyclopedia > Adams Mine

&lt;http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Adams-Mine>

Adams Mine Chronology

&lt;http://www.web.net/nwatch/garbage/CHRONOLOGYofADAMSMINE.htm>

STOP DUMP SITE 41 - WASTE DISPOSAL IN NORTH SIMCOE : A CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS 1965-Today

&lt;http://www.stopdumpsite41.ca/1965.html>

Adams Mine/Toronto Garbage

&lt;http://www.northernontario.ca/speaker/content/archives/adams/2001.html>

Environmental Bill of Rights - Ontario

The Adams Mine Landfill Project: How Does the EBR Fit In?

&lt;http://www.eco.on.ca/english/publicat/adamsm01.pdf>

LEDUC REPRESENTATIVE ARTICLE

Landfill expansion approved by county

The Leduc County Subdivision and Development Appeal Board decided on Nov. 20 to deny the appeal against the landfill expansion.

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POLYETHYLENE LINERS FOR DUMPS

Landfills (dumps) contain many substances which are liquid or liquefy and drain to the bottom of the pit. This liquid/sludge contains many toxic contaminants. Plastic liners (HDPE) are placed at the bottom during the construction phase to contain this toxic soup. The problem is that all liners leak either sooner or later, due to mechanical damage and/or material or seal (joint) failure. This toxic sludge then seeps into the soil and contaminates the groundwater. Groundwater is connected to surrounding area domestic wells, streams, and lakes, and is carried far and wide. Contaminated waste such as that proposed for the new County of Leduc site adjacent to the City of Leduc, Telford and Saunders Lakes, plus surrounding farms and residences, will contain highly toxic substances.

Tests by the National Research Council of Canada on an existing liner (HDPE geo-membrane) showed, after 14 years of use, a large number (528) cracks, holes, and patches per hectare, and estimated the liner had failed between 0 and 4 years after installation. The liquids from the dump had migrated into the surrounding earth formation almost immediately.

Claims made by proponents of the liners and dump advocates maintain that these supposed liner safeguards prevent the occurrence of contamination. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

See:
Canadian Geotechnical Journal 4: P536-550 (2003) doi: 10.1139/T03-019
Corresponding Author (e-mail: Kerry@civil.queen.ca)

JAH

Dump this waste of an idea quickly - by Kerry Diotte/EDMONTON SUN

Dump this waste of an idea quickly
Thursday, October 30, 2008

BY KERRY DIOTTE/EDMONTON SUN
OPINION COLUMN

      Some ideas are so stupid they should be abandoned immediately. This is one of them. A group of Leduc County residents is fighting hard to prevent the expansion of a garbage dump that sits between two freshwater lakes.
      The five municipalities involved in running the Leduc & District Regional Landfill want to expand it from mostly household waste to accepting construction and demolition waste, including asphalt.
      That has residents fearing petroleum-based sludge from asphalt might leak from liners into Saunders Lake and eventually into the North Saskatchewan River.
      "It's just a terrible location, environmentally," says Janette McDonald, spokesman for the Saunders Lake Improvement Coalition, fighting the expansion that was initially approved by the county in June.
      It then went to a development appeal board that upheld the expansion but was later tripped up when the Alberta Court of Appeal ordered a new hearing, ruling the proceeding flawed.
      McDonald and other residents are already concerned the existing dump has caught fire in the past. They fear some of that burning material could have contained harmful chemicals.
      Alberta Environment is investigating allegations the subcontractor that runs the dump for the regional waste authority failed to report a Sept. 25 fire.
      The planned expansion is just west of the existing landfill on a corner of Saunders Lake, near the city of Leduc's border. Engineering reports say everything would be hunky-dory. No need to worry about any nasty contaminants or toxic materials.

      McDonald and crew don't agree. "Edmonton should care because I think there's great potential of contamination of the North Saskatchewan River that supplies Edmonton's water," said McDonald. "Besides all that, there's an impact on what are nice recreation lakes that are about 15 minutes from the city of Edmonton."
      Telford Lake, for one, hosts rowing and canoeing, including the 2005 World Masters Games.
      A spokesperson for Alberta Environment says residents have no reason for fear. "In terms of the lakes and water we have no concerns," said Ogho Ikhalo.
      She said the province is waiting for some information from the dump's operating authority to complete a technical review of the environmental impact.
      As for area residents being upset, our provincial guardians of the environment remain unfazed.

      "A notice of application (for the expansion) was posted in the local paper back in June and no statements of concern were received then," said Ikhalo. She said Albertans are welcome to call the Environment department's hotline, at 1-800-222-6514, if they want to complain about the project.
      The approval of the expansion, she said, is largely out of Alberta Environment's hands and is a fight between residents and the development appeal board.
      Ah, isn't that grand? The very department that preaches at us to recycle and to be more green doesn't care about the bigger picture - that we're likely going to see the expansion of an ugly dump in the suburbs. And it's going to be built very near a couple of freshwater lakes, rare commodities in this part of the world.
      People I know often joke about the province's dismal record on the environment. This is just another good example that those people are right. In other jurisdictions, approving the expansion of a suburban garbage dump that include petroleum-based asphalt would be looked upon with horror by provincial officials.
      Yet, in Alberta, it's looked upon as progress.
      - kerry.diotte@sunmedia.ca

STOP THE LEDUC DUMP EXPANSION!

      There has been little information publicized regarding the controversial Leduc Dump expansion project currently proposed by the Leduc & District Regional Waste Management Authority.  The Management Authority intends to profit by bringing large amounts of contaminated waste to the expansion area.   The proposed dump is directly adjacent to planned residential development areas and threatens to pollute streams, lakes, groundwater and air in the vicinity.  This contamination area is also very close to the City of Leduc's eastern boundary and may seriously affect air quality in the city and community.  This blog is intended to provide up-to-date information as a resource for those opposing the expansion.