Sludge Watch ==> Pelham Ontario - massive paper sludge berm is being trucked away

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludewatch Admin:

The Province of Ontario decided that any waste that was mixed with another 
waste or material and called itself a 'product' was eligible for a 'waste 
exemption' and no longer needed a waste permit for trucking the material or 
its waste components and the province would allow these materials and 
component materials to be stockpiled on farmlands in mountains consisting of 
hundreds of thousands of tonnes.  (waste reg 347 3(2)1)

This legal interpretation of Reg 347 is inane, but the province failed to 
address the loophole when it revised Reg 347 last year.  The Province was 
told by their own 'Expert Panel' advisory science group that the sludge and 
waste materials should not be exempt from the waste permitting requirements. 
But all over Ontario papermill sludges are heaped in putrescing mountains on 
farmlands and gun clubs and private properties.

This Pelham Ontario berm is the first berm that is being removed.
May it be the first of many.

.


...........................................
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=873115&auth=Matthew+Van+Dongen%2C+St.+Catharines+Standard


"But repeated MOE testing revealed runoff had a toxicity similar to sewage 
and posed a danger to the environment. A makeshift protective clay wall 
around the berm regularly broke down, allowing runoff into a nearby 
watercourse. "


Controversial sludge pile being removed
Posted By Matthew Van Dongen, St. Catharines Standard

A Thorold paper recycler has agreed to remove a much-hated 36,000-tonne pile 
of paper sludge from a Fenwick property, possibly starting as early as 
Monday.

Abitibi Consolidated will truck the sludge, a waste product of paper 
recycling, from 325 Church St. to its Thorold plant after an agreement 
between the company, landowner and the provincial Ministry of the 
Environment Thursday.

Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn praised Abitibi and the landowner for their 
decision.

“I’m also grateful for the tireless efforts of the immediate neighbours 
– for their constant pressure for this type of long-term solution,” said 
Augustyn in a release.

Abitibi paid a contractor to build the berm in Fenwick in the summer of 
2006, enraging neighbours who abhorred the smell and feared contaminated 
runoff would pollute local groundwater and wells.

Abitibi maintained that, properly covered with soil, the berm was safe and 
useful as a noise barrier for the nearby train tracks.

But repeated MOE testing revealed runoff had a toxicity similar to sewage 
and posed a danger to the environment. A makeshift protective clay wall 
around the berm regularly broke down, allowing runoff into a nearby 
watercourse.

Residents picketed the site and took their complaint all the way to the 
Minister of the Environment, then Laurel Broten.

The ministry didn’t stop the berm building, however, because an 
Environmental Protection Act exemption allows the dumping to go unregulated.

The controversy echoed throughout the province, as communities from Oshawa 
to Orillia fought similar berms from other paper recyclers.

A provincially-appointed expert panel recommended regulating berm use in a 
report, but the MOE is still studying those recommendations two years later.



......................

THE CORPORATION OF THE
town of pelham


OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
20 Pelham Town Squa
Fonthill, ON    LOS 11
(905) 892-26C
(905) 892-50!
www.pelham.c


Agreement Reached to Remove Fenwick Berm Under Watchful Eye of MOE
PELHAM, ON (24 January 2008) — Abitibi Consolidated and Greenland 
Greenhouses Inc. have contracted to remove the Soundsorb berm located at 325 
Church Street, Pelham. Starting as early as Monday, January 28, 2008, the 
berm will be deconstructed and the material will be moved to the Abitibi 
Consolidated property in Thorold. The Ministry of the Environment will 
oversee the entire process to ensure the seamless transfer of the material 
and rehabilitation of the Church Street property.
"I am delighted that Abitibi and Greenland Greenhouses have come to this 
agreement and that the berm will be removed from Pelham," said Pelham Mayor 
Dave Augustyn. "I thank the MOE for their diligence, tenacity, cooperation, 
and continued work on this issue."
"I appreciate the active participation of Abitibi Consolidated and Greenland 
Greenhouses in the agreement. And, finally, I am grateful for the tireless 
efforts of the immediate neighbours — for their constant pressure for 
this type of long-term solution," said Augustyn.
"I commend Abitibi Consolidated for taking action on this issue and for 
continuing to prove that they are one of Niagara's leading, good corporate 
citizens. I am pleased that this material will be safely contained at the 
Abitibi site," said Thorold Mayor Henry D'Angela.
< MOE licensed haulers, using-covered trucks, will transport as many as 
3,200 tonnes of material per
day along an agreed upon route of Regional Roads and Provincial Highways. 
The work will occur between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 
is expected to be completed by April 30, 2008 (weather permitting).
In order to prevent any potential odour or other off-site adverse 
environmental impacts, the berm will be dismantled in a planned, logical 
manner and the size of the working area will be kept to a minimum. Both the 
Ministry of the Environment and Abitibi Consolidated will monitor the berm's 
deconstruction and the containment of the material at the existing Abitibi 
facility. A qualified, professional engineer will carry out a final site 
inspection of the Church Street property, to the satisfaction of the MOE.
The landowner and Abitibi have committed to promptly responding to any 
concerns from residents and will forward progress reports to the Town of 
Pelham and the City of Thorold.
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Mayor Dave Augustyn                                                  Mayor 
Henry D'Angela
Town of Pelham                                                           
City of Thorold
905-892-2607    905-227-6613