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.
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
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
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