Sludge Watch ==> Pelham Ontario - residents feel vindicated - paper sludge berm report

[Maureen Reilly]

Phone:
905-892-8690

editor at thevoiceofpelham.ca


Fax:
905-892-0823



http://www.thevoiceofpelham.ca/

March 2007

The Voice of Pelham
Pelham Ontario

Residents feel vindicated by latest Provincial report

Contaminated.

The latest Ministry of the Environment (MOE) report on the Paper Fibre 
Bio-solid (PFB) berm at 325 Church St. makes use of the word “contaminated” 
more than 25 times.
In a five page Provincial Officer’s Report dated Jan 19, MOE Officer Sylvie 
Chartrand appears to confirm, at least in the view of local residents, the 
fears they have had since dumping began at 325 Church St. last spring.

Randy Desnoyers, who has lead the group Sludge Tacklers of Pelham (STOP), 
says Chartrand’s five-page report “vindicates and supports what we have been 
saying.”

Potential.

The report also makes use of the word “potential” on at least three 
occasions.
MOE Niagara District Manager Paul Nieweglowski says the ministry has “been 
clear all along.
“There is potential for adverse effect. The owner needs to make sure that 
this surface water is controlled and contained.” says Nieweglowski, adding, 
“we’ve been monitoring the drains – there is no impact. There has always 
been the potential.
“We are not seeing impacts to the environment.”

The report prompted a press release from the Town in which Mayor Dave 
Augustyn seems to agree with residents, saying, “It is clear that the 
ministry has confirmed some of the concerns of the immediate neighbours 
about the effects of the pile of PFBs in Fenwick.”
“In her report she confirmed everything we have been saying. Obviously the 
ministry needs to step up enforcement. We’ve had enough engineers,” says 
Desnoyers.

STOP views the latest report as inconsistent with past reports. Nieweglowski 
says the ministry has been clear and consistent all along and “there is no 
inconsistency” arising from the latest report.
In her report Chartrand says, “The sample results of the contaminated 
run-off on-site show this material to be characteristic of sewage.” 
Desnoyers asks “How many months have we had this seeping out?”
Chartrand says she has inspected the site on more than 40 occasions since 
May 2006 and has “observed contaminated run-off migrating off-site onto the 
CPR railway ditch, consisting of discoloured brown and black surface water 
which is puddling in a depressed area outside the containment berm and ditch 
and migrating approximately 10 metres along the CPR ditch towards the Nunn 
Drain, which forms part of Coyle and Crane Creeks and eventually discharges 
to the Welland River.”

“It is the Ministry surface water experts’ opinion that if discharged to a 
receiving watercourse, the contaminated run off has the potential to cause 
off-site impacts to the natural environment and could cause an adverse 
effect to the aquatic environment in the Nunn Drain.”

Also included in the report are findings from past ordered assessments.


A report completed by AeonEgmond Ltd. on the containment berm concluded that 
the berm was “of poor construction, of uneven compaction and uneven 
strength...and unsuitable for long term containment of the surface, leachate 
or other water flows.” AeonEgmond Ltd. also says in the report that “on-site 
containment measures appeared inadequate and recommendations were made to 
remove the clay containment berm and replace it with a new clay berm and 
drain.”
A Dec. 6 assessment by Jagger Hims Limited also expressed concerned over the 
containment berm. It “appears to be poorly constructed and water is able to 
seep through or beneath the containment berm, especially the north-east and 
eastern portions of the PFB berm.”

The report further states that although “numerous” requests have been made, 
“appropriate steps have not been taken to date by the owner to prevent these 
on-going discharges.”

Augustyn expressed his concern saying, “I am disappointed that the landowner 
has not yet taken appropriate steps to prevent ongoing discharges of 
contaminated run-off from the berm. I urge the landowner to just do it - to 
comply with this new order as quickly and as completely as possible.”
Penny Hipkiss, who lives next door to the berm, says, “I would like to see 
the berm removed. But realistically I don’t think that will happen. Perhaps 
Pelham will be the case that changes things province wide. It saddens me to 
see what has happened. These people come in and dump this stuff and we’ve 
been left to deal with it.

“I hope the government acts on how to disperse this material appropriately 
so other communities don’t have to deal with this mess,” said Hipkiss.