LAND REMEDIATION SECTION...MESSAgE fROM ThE ASSISTANT DEPUTy MINISTER 3 I would like to welcome you...

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LAND REMEDIATION SECTION2007–2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Environmental Management BranchEnvironmental Protection Division

2CONTENTS

Cover photo: Squamish – Salt water dock

Inset photos (L to R): Squamish – Construction of cement block wall; soil storage and treatment area; deconstruction of storage tanks

MESSAgE fROM ThE ASSISTANT DEPUTy MINISTER .......................................... 3

gLOSSARy ............................................................................................................ 4

hIghLIghTS Of ThE yEAR ................................................................................... 6Site SnapShotS .......................................................................................................... 6

Bamberton (updated) 6

Southeast False Creek (updated) 6

Trail (updated) 7

Brilliant 8

BrownfieldS and Brownfield redevelopment ................................................. 8

Stakeholder outreach and partnerShipS .......................................................... 8

SETTINg ThE STAgE ............................................................................................. 9our team .................................................................................................................... 9

aBout contaminated SiteS and our legiSlative framework ........................ 10

linkS to miniStry Service plan ............................................................................ 11

program accompliShmentS ................................................................................. 11

ThE yEAR IN DETAIL .......................................................................................... 13identification of SiteS .......................................................................................... 13

cleanup accompliShmentS ................................................................................... 13

external review ..................................................................................................... 13

Director’s Roster of Approved Professionals and the CSAP Society 14

Site remediation ..................................................................................................... 15

High Profile Sites 15

Nexen: Former Chlor-alkali Plant, Squamish 16

Meadow Avenue: Former Wood Treatment Facility, Burnaby 19

major projectS under the environmental aSSeSSment proceSS................. 22

BrownfieldS and Brownfield redevelopment ............................................... 22

outreach and information ................................................................................. 23

Stakeholder Outreach and Partnerships 23

policy, protocol, and guidance ......................................................................... 24

Updated 24

New 25

Access to Information 25

financial matterS .................................................................................................. 26

Expenditures 26

Revenue 26

Contracts and Grants 26

LOOkINg AhEAD ................................................................................................ 27

fOR fURThER INfORMATION ............................................................................ 28

3MESSAgE fROM ThE ASSISTANT DEPUTy MINISTER

I would like to welcome you to the second Annual Report of the B.C. Ministry of Environment Land Remediation Section, covering the year of April 1, 2007, to March 31, 2008.

Section staff continued to make great strides in the 2007/08 fiscal year towards the wellbeing of British Columbia’s environment. I was pleased to attend a Land Remediation Section meeting held in Whistler in September, which included visits to four sites that have undergone extensive remediation. These sites demonstrate the positive environmental and social benefits that result when contaminated lands are remediated.

Among the sites we visited, the Nexen site in Squamish provides an example of a long-term, complex project that led to the development of groundbreaking remedial technologies. The natural beauty of the area now, which includes walking paths and a sandy beach, contrasts sharply with its previous years as a chlor-alkali plant, when mercury was released to the environment. I encourage you to consult “The Year in Detail” for the full story behind the Nexen site.

This report also highlights new developments in our brownfields strategy, celebrates our strengthened ties to the community through outreach and partnerships, and shows our ongoing commitment to openness and transparency by providing updated statistics and financial information. These are the keys to achieving a “client-focused organization that supports high quality service” – an objective from the ministry’s current Annual Service Plan Report.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Land Remediation Section staff for their dedication and hard work over the past year under the leadership of Jim Hofweber, Director of the Environmental Management Branch. Their efforts will serve to ensure that the unsurpassed beauty of our environment is enhanced and maintained, supporting healthy, vibrant communities throughout British Columbia.

Lynn Bailey Assistant Deputy Minister, Environmental Protection Division, Ministry of Environment

4gLOSSARy

Approval in Principle: A legal instrument under the Environmental Management Act, issued by a Director, stating that a remediation plan for a contaminated site has been reviewed and approved by the Director. The Approval in Principle may specify conditions that must be implemented during remediation.

Approved Professional: A person who is appointed by a Director to the Roster of Approved Professionals. Under the Environmental Management Act, ministry officials may issue, based on the recommendation of these Approved Professionals, a contaminated sites legal instrument (such as a Certificate of Compliance) without review. Since November 1, 2004, the ministry has required that all applications for various services for non high risk sites be made by an Approved Professional.

Brownfield: Abandoned, vacant, derelict or under-utilized commercial and industrial properties where past actions have resulted in actual or perceived contamination and where there is an active potential for redevelopment.

Certificate of Compliance: A certificate, issued by a Director under the Environmental Management Act, stating that a site has been remediated in accordance with the standards prescribed for the use of the site and with any orders issued, any remediation plan approved by the Director, and any require-ments imposed by the Director. If he or she sees fit, the Director may impose conditions as part of the certificate, such as monitoring or financial security. Certificates of Compliance may be issued using risk-based or numerical standards.

Contaminated Site: An area of the land in which the soil or any groundwater lying beneath it, or the water or the underlying sediment, contains

(a) a hazardous waste, or (b) another prescribed substance

in quantities or concentrations exceeding risk based or numerical criteria or standards or conditions in the Contaminated Sites Regulation.

Contaminated Sites Legal Regime: Collectively, the documents that allow the ministry to legally regulate the investigation and remediation of con-taminated sites in B.C. The contaminated sites legal regime is made up of the Environmental Management Act, the Contaminated Sites Regulation and a number of protocols.

Contaminated Soil Relocation Agreement: A legal agreement required when soil is to be moved from one site (the source site) to another (the receiving site). It is an agreement between the owner of a source site and the owner or operator of a receiving site and is signed by the Director.

Determination of Contaminated Site: A decision made under the Environmental Management Act by the Director of Waste Management whether a site is or is not a contaminated site.

Director: The Director of Waste Management.

Guidance: Advice provided to stakeholders to explain the Land Remediation Section’s administrative and technical requirements in addition to those already required under the Environmental Management Act, its regulations, protocols, policies and procedures.

Independent Remediation: Remediation carried out without any ministry involvement other than the party doing the remediation notifying the ministry of initiation and completion.

Legal Instrument: Any written legal document. In the contaminated sites legal regime, Certificates of Compliance, Approvals in Principle, and Voluntary Remediation and Contaminated Soil Relocation Agreements are examples of legal instruments.

Notification of Independent Remediation: A notice in writing issued by a person to a Director promptly once the person has initiated independent remedia-tion, and within 90 days of completing independent remediation.

Notification of Offsite Migration: Written notifica-tion by a responsible person to the person or persons who own neighbouring sites and to a Director regard-ing migration or likely migration of contamination.

Offsite Migration: The migration of contaminants or other substances from a source site to a neighbouring site (an affected site) and where the source site and neighbouring site have different ownership or tenure.

Policy: A written governing principle, position, plan or course of action that directs, guides, or influences decision-making and the actions of staff.

Procedure: Guidance to ministry decision-makers and staff in performing their duties.

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Protocol: A document containing legally enforce-able contaminated sites requirements issued by the Director under the authority of section 64 of the Environmental Management Act. Typically the require-ments relate to investigations, analysis, interpretation, planning, conducting, and reporting on remediation.

Remediation: Action to eliminate, limit, correct, counteract, mitigate, or remove any contaminant from the environment or the adverse effects of any contaminant on the environment or human health. Remediation may include: site investigation, analysis, and interpretation; evaluation of methods of remediation; preparation and implementation of a remediation plan; and monitoring, verification, and confirmation of whether the remediation efforts comply with the remediation plan, applicable standards, and requirements imposed by a Director under the Environmental Management Act.

Site Profile: A screening form in Schedule 1 of the Contaminated Sites Regulation for identifying potentially contaminated sites. The profile is a sum-mary created from readily available information about a site, and includes a basic description of the site and of its past and present uses.

Site Registry: An electronic database created in 1997 under the contaminated sites legal regime to docu-ment milestones in the screening, identification, and cleanup of all sites in the ministry’s records.

Voluntary Remediation Agreement: A contami-nated sites legal instrument between a responsible person and the Director of Waste Management, in which the person commits to independently under-taking remediation to address contamination at a site. The agreement includes provisions for financial contribution and security, a schedule of remediation, certification by the responsible person of full disclo-sure of information, and any other requirements the Director considers necessary.

gLOSSARy (CONTINUED)

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Southeast False Creek

Southeast False Creek

Proposed waterfront village at Bamberton

SITE SNAPShOTS

The 2006/07 Annual Report described a number of sites undergoing remediation in British Columbia. This year we provide updates on noteworthy achieve-ments at three of those sites, and introduce a new site to further illustrate the varied nature of the work overseen by the Land Remediation Section.

Bamberton (updated)

Last year the remedial efforts at this site were outlined, including the removal or relocation of cement-manufacturing waste and approximately

850,000 tonnes of contaminated soil. Now that the remediation is complete, development of the site by Three Point Properties is proceeding briskly. The proposed land use plan dedicates over 65% of the 1,580-acre site to parks and open space and involves consultation with local First Nations about plant species indigenous to the area. Three Point Properties won three major awards in the fall of 2007 for its proposed waterfront village, including the Canadian Urban Institute award for Sustainable Design and Technological Innovation on a Brownfield Site.

Southeast False Creek (updated)

Development is proceeding rapidly in this former industrial area. Several parcels of the land have already been remediated through soil excava-tion and removal, and remediation of additional parcels is ongoing. Development at the site is focused on creating an ecologically healthy and sustainable community that includes parks, pathways, and energy-efficient housing. The site is also the future location of the Vancouver Athletes’ Village for the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.

hIghLIghTS Of ThE yEAR

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Trail –Smelter

Trail – valley north of smelter

Trail (updated)

Draft aquatic and terrestrial ecological risk as-sessments for the Trail wide area site have been submitted to the ministry. The ministry met with Teck Cominco and other stakeholders to discuss the possibility of formulating a broader, multi-stakeholder wildlife habitat management plan (WHMP) that would allow Teck Cominco to broaden its environ-mental management efforts. The approach has the potential to greatly increase cooperation and shared learning within and across provincial government ministries and with other governments and stake-holders. It could also serve as an excellent model for other sites across the province. Details of what the WHMP will include and entail will be determined at future meetings.

Left: Bill Duncan (Teck Cominco), Colm Condon (Land Remediation Section), and Lavinia Zanini (Land Remediation Section) examine evidence of an increased tree growth rate in recent years near Trail. This improvement is primarily due to a reduction in sulphur dioxide concentrations in soil and air.

hIghLIghTS Of ThE yEAR (CONTINUED)

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Brilliant

Brilliant

Brilliant

Brilliant

The Brilliant site, located approximately one kilometre east of Castlegar, was created as a result of a train derailment in 1974 that caused a spill of lead-zinc ore concentrate. In 1998, the ministry became involved when a drinking water well on a downgradient prop-erty containing elevated metals concentrations was identified. Since then a human health risk assessment has been completed and additional investigation and remediation activities continue both at the site and at neighbouring properties.

BROwNfIELDS AND BROwNfIELD REDEvELOPMENT

The Land Remediation Section provided key support to the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands in developing the Province’s Brownfield Renewal Strategy, which was publicly announced in February 2008. As part of implementing that strategy, the Land Remediation Section provided a financial grant to the National Brownfield Associations Canada to provide advice and make recommendations on increasing flexibility in remediation liability transfer and on preventing future contaminated sites. Also in 2007/08, a new key topic on brownfields and brownfield renewal was added to the Land Remediation Section’s web site, including a fact sheet, project profiles, and Internet links.

STAkEhOLDER OUTREACh AND PARTNERShIPS

Section consultation meetings similar to those held in February 2007 were again convened in Vancouver in February 2008. Land Remediation staff made a number of presentations, each followed by open discussion, to the approximately 200 contaminated sites stakeholders in attendance. Keen interest in the meetings meant that registration was full only two weeks after it opened, with a waitlist of about 25 people. Comments from attendees indicated that they found the sessions helpful and would like to see them continue in future years. For more information about presentations made during these meetings, please see “Outreach and Information” in this report.

hIghLIghTS Of ThE yEAR (CONTINUED)

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Mike MacfarlaneSr. Manager, Land Remediation

Michele ParkerAdministrative Assistant

Glenn HarrisManager, Risk Assessment

& Remediation

Doug WaltonManager, Risk Assessment

& Remediation

John WardManager, Operations Management

Alan McCammonManager, Brownfields, Olympics

Mia OldenbergCo-op Student

Julia BrookeSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

Tara GeorgeRisk Assessment Officer

Amy SlomaSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

George SzeferSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

Remi OdenseRisk Assessment Officer

Janet BarrettSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

Peggy EvansSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

Stephen DankevySr. Contaminated Sites Officer

Colm CondonRisk Assessment Officer

Lavinia ZaniniSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

VacantRisk Assessment Officer

Dave LockhartSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

Peter KickhamRisk Assesment Officer

Ardith GingellSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

Coleen HackinenSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

Vince HanemayerSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

Kerri SkellySr. Contaminated Sites Officer

VacantSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

Kelli LarsenSr. Contaminated Sites Officer

OUR TEAM

In 2007/08, the Land Remediation Section consisted of a staff of 25, located in Victoria and Surrey offices. Figure 1 shows the section’s organization chart.

Figure 1. Land Remediation Section organization chart.

SETTINg ThE STAgE

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April 1, 1997Contaminated Sites Regulation in effect

July 19, 1999Stage 1 – Added rostered experts, set standards for petroleum hydrocarbons, removed aquatic life standards for Fe, Mn, and AI

February 2, 2002Stage 2 – Allowed rostered experts to submit determinations, revised various numerical standards, added notice of offsite migration

December 1, 2003Stage 3 – Amended fees, allowing lump sum and hourly rates

July 8, 2004Stage 4 – Updated authority to make regulations and decisions, removed conditional certificates, renamed professional experts, moved Director’s standards to regulation

April 1, 1997Contaminated Sites provisions of Waste Management Act in force

May 6, 2002Waste Management Act amended (mines provisions, cost recovery, consequential amendments)

October 21, 2003Environmental Management Act created from Waste Management Act (Bill 57)

April 19, 2004Environmental Management Act amended (Bill 13)

July 8, 2004Environmental Management Act in effect

May 13, 2003Advisory Panel Report issued

July 1, 2007Stage 5 – Simplified fees regime, put Summary of Site Condition provisions into effect,amended environmental quality standards

July 1, 1995Part 3.1 – Contaminated Sites Remediation added to the Waste Management Act

July 1, 1995Established Contaminated Sites Fees Regulation

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 200719961995 2008

4.5 pt

Statutory Milestones Regulatory Milestones

Screening a site

Investigation needed

Investigation not needed

Site notcontaminated

No further action required

Investigating a site

Comparing results with standards

Remediating a site

Monitoring a siteNo further

action required

SETTINg ThE STAgE (CONTINUED)

ABOUT CONTAMINATED SITES AND OUR LEgISLATIvE fRAMEwORk

A contaminated site is an area of land that contains a concentration or amount of a substance exceeding the regulated standards for that substance, making the land unsuitable for specific uses. The substance may be present in the soil, underlying groundwater, or sediment of the site. Common substances found at contaminated sites in British Columbia are heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. Organic chemicals, including benzene and toluene in gasoline, occur at about two-thirds of the sites. Chlorophenols are common at wood treatment operations, as are benzo[a]pyrene and naphthalene from creosote. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) often occur at sites where electrical equipment was used.

Contaminants can pose a threat to human and environmental health. The effects of some can be severe enough to impair or cause imbalance in ecological functions or systems. Contaminated sites legislation has been, and continues to be, developed to prevent such occurrences. Figure 2 shows a timeline of this legislation from the time of the Waste Management Act in 1995.

Key features of the legislation include:

Staged identification, assessment, and cleanup •provisions (as shown in Figure 3)

Tools for access to site information•

Cost-recovery fees to offset costs•

Flexible, scientifically based standards•

Extensive rules on liability•

Guidance on independent remediation•

Requirements for offsite migration•

Reliance on Approved Professionals• Figure 3. Simplified process for identification, assessment, and cleanup of contaminated sites.

Figure 2. Evolution of contaminated sites legislation in British Columbia.

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LINkS TO MINISTRy SERvICE PLAN

The Ministry of Environment’s 2008/09 – 2010/11 Service Plan continues to emphasize, as its Goal 1, “Clean and safe water, land and air.”

The Land Remediation Section is particularly involved in Objectives 1.3 and 1.5 of this goal: “Reduced contamination from toxins and wastes” and “Effective management of environmental risks,” respectively. Land Remediation staff develop environmental qual-ity standards against which substance concentrations can be compared before, during, and after remedia-tion. As well, clear regulations for contaminated sites mean staff can continue to rely on members of the Roster of Approved Professionals to work on non high risk sites while they focus on the management of high risk site remediation. This division of labour is a key Service Plan strategy to achieve the ministry’s environmental risk management objectives.

PROgRAM ACCOMPLIShMENTS

The ministry’s Site Registry holds up-to-date records of sites across British Columbia that are contaminated, are being investigated due to contaminant concerns, or have already been successfully remediated. Figure 4 shows a breakdown by geographic region of 9,099 sites registered in the Site Registry at the end of the fiscal year. This breakdown is very similar to that of the 8,732 total sites described in the chart from 2006/07.

Figure 4. Number and percentage of sites, by region in British Columbia, listed in the Site Registry as of March 31, 2008.

4%

16%

3%

5%

4%

15%

6%

7%

33%

5%2%

Smithers, Skeena (445)

Wiliams Lake, Cariboo (210)Cranbrook, Kootenay (329)

Fort St. John, Omineca-Peace (1,487)

Federal Sites (262)

Kamloops, Southern Interior (452)

Nelson, Kootenay (363)

Surrey, Lower Mainland (3,023)

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island (1,368)

Prince George, Omineca-Peace (557)

Penticton, Southern Interior (603)


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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Approved Professional Review Ministry Review

In 2007/08, we continued to rely on the services of the Roster of Approved Professionals to determine when to issue a legal instrument to the owner of a contaminated site. As shown in Figure 5, the propor-tion of instruments recommended by Approved Professionals instead of by ministry staff remained high in the past year. This has allowed ministry staff to continue devoting as much time as possible to high risk sites and policy development – a goal highlighted in “Looking Ahead” in our 2006/07 Annual Report.

Figure 5. Relative percentages of the 674 legal instruments recommended by the Roster of Approved Professionals and by ministry staff between 2004/05 and 2007/08.


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IDENTIfICATION Of SITES

In 2007/08, the ministry processed 381 site profiles, of which 70% (268) required further investigation. This number includes both the initial decisions where site investigation was required, as well as follow-up releases of local government authorizations where a decision had already been made. The remaining 113 sites reviewed through site profiles did not require further investigation.

On average, over the period that records were available in the fiscal year (October 1, 2007, to March 31, 2008), site profiles were processed within 12.5 days. About 84% of new site profiles were processed in less than 15 days. The maximum period needed to issue a site profile decision letter was 20 days.

CLEANUP ACCOMPLIShMENTS

In 2007/08, a total of 318 sites across the province were cleaned up by independent remediation (60%) or with ministry or Roster involvement (40%). Of the latter, all resulted in a Certificate of Compliance being issued (see Table 1). The number of Approvals in Principle issued in the fiscal year, approving plans for remediation, was 27. These figures represent a slight increase in cleanup activity over the 2006/07 fiscal year, in which 97 Certificates of Compliance and 19 Approvals in Principle were issued.

Approximately 70% of the combined total of Certificates of Compliance and Approvals in Principle in 2007/08 were issued after review by an Approved Professional. The balance of cases were reviewed directly by the ministry.

Table 1. Site cleanups completed in fiscal 2007/08 and in progress as of March 31, 2008

Process Instrument Issued Number of Sites Remediated Number of Sites Undergoing Remediation

Ministry/RosterCertificate of Compliance, numerical standards

91 N/A

Ministry/RosterCertificate of Compliance, risk-based standards

35 N/A

Ministry/Roster Approval in Principle N/A 27

Independent N/A 192 334

Totals 318 361

ExTERNAL REvIEw

In the past fiscal year, the Land Remediation Section continued to contract the help of external members of the environmental consulting community to review reports. External contract reviewers are Approved Professionals who provide reviews of reports according to established timelines that vary based on the type of report re-viewed. If reports were found to be insufficient and extra information was needed, the timeline was extended for review completion. Upon submission of the external review report, ministry staff assessed the review, including all conclusions and recommendations made by the reviewer, before finalizing it.

In 2007/08, the ministry sent out a total of 17 submissions for external review. As well, 20 contaminated sites legal instruments were issued through the external review process – almost twice as many as in 2006/07 (11). Turnaround times required to issue these instruments improved overall from the previous fiscal year and are outlined in Table 2.

Table 2. Issuance of legal instruments after external review

Time to Issue Legal Instrument Following External Contract Reviewer’s Submission (weeks)

0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 >20*

Number of Instruments 8 4 4 2 2

* Additional time required for resolution of site boundary determination.

ThE yEAR IN DETAIL

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Director’s Roster of Approved Professionals and the CSAP Society

The Roster of Approved Professionals and the Contaminated Sites Approved Professionals (CSAP) Society continued to play a valuable role in the remediation of contaminated sites over the past year. New milestones achieved by Approved Professionals included the following:

In March 2007, the CSAP Society was registered •under the Societies Act.

In May 2007, a CSAP Society Executive Director •was hired.

In July 2007, the Summary of Site Condition •was finalized and became required with all Roster submissions.

On July 1, 2007, the Fee Schedule of the •Contaminated Sites Regulation was amended to allow the CSAP Society to collect its own fees for submissions it processes.

Six new numerical standards assessors were •added to the Roster, bringing the total members with this speciality to 72. Nine risk assessment specialists and three members having dual designation brought the total number of members to 84.

The CSAP Society developed an online submission •system, which includes the ability for members to record professional development credits.

CSAP Society committees were established: •Performance Assessment, Professional Development, Membership, and Discipline.

Draft CSAP Society guidelines were developed for •performance assessment, practice, professional development, and membership.

In 2007/08, Approved Professionals made 175 submissions to the ministry recommending that legal instruments be issued. Based on these recom-mendations, 139 legal instruments had been issued between April 1, 2007, and March 31, 2008. The length of time between submission to the ministry and issuance of the instrument varied, as outlined in Table 3. Regarding the timelines, it should be noted that there is a statutory notification period associated with a Determination of Contaminated Site. After making a preliminary determination, the Director must allow a period for comment of not less than 30 days and not more than 60 days after delivery of the notice of preliminary determination. The time periods listed in the table include the time required to satisfy statutory

obligations. Processing delays can also be attributed to waits for additional information from Approved Professionals (for example, to provide legal surveys for portions of lots or offsite areas, to provide new site plans, to confirm applicability of standards applied for a given site, or to provide rationale regarding site delineation). As well, delays may occur when legal issues arise requiring clarification, such as determining responsibility for offsite contamination.

The ministry also experienced a large influx of applications, many for Determinations of Contaminated Site, before a new requirement for soil vapour investigations went into effect on January 31, 2008. This unusual volume of applications additionally contributed to the longer timelines shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Issuance of legal instruments

Time to issue legal instrument following recommendation by Approved Professional (weeks)

6

Number of instruments 15 12 13 26 20 8 45

Percentage of total 11 9 9 19 14 6 32

ThE yEAR IN DETAIL (CONTINUED)

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The work of individual Approved Professionals con-tinues to be monitored regularly by the ministry. This ensures a high degree of technical competency in site investigations, cleanups, and documentation, and in the accuracy of final recommendations made.

The performance of an Approved Professional is ranked on a scale of error classes (1-4): Trivial, Minor, Serious, and Major, respectively. Trivial and Minor Errors result in a passed quality review. Serious and Major Errors are considered failures.

In 2007/08, four quality reviews were completed. The findings were one Class 2, two Class 3, and one Class 4 performances. The results of three additional quality reviews conducted in the fiscal year are still undergo-ing evaluation. To address performance concerns raised by the outcome of this limited sampling of quality reviews, we began undertaking quality reviews at an increased frequency. On July 1, 2008, the CSAP Society will assume responsibility for quality reviews. The society will initially continue with this increased frequency of reviews.

SITE REMEDIATION

High Profile Sites

In 2007-2008, the Land Remediation Section contin-ued to oversee the long-term remediation of many complex, high profile sites. Table 4 shows an overview of such sites. Two remediation projects – the Nexen site in Squamish and the Meadow Avenue site in Burnaby – are profiled on the following pages.


Site ID Number Site Name Location Origin of Contamination

10247, 10258, 10259, 10260 41st and Collingwood Vancouver Service station

1397 9250 Oak Street Vancouver Wood preservation

1733 Bamberton Mill Bay Cement plant

451 Bell Pole Lumby Pole treatment and storage

6137 Brilliant Nelson Metal concentrate spill

436 Britannia Britannia Beach Copper mine

2167 Bullmoose/Quintette Tumbler Ridge Coal mines

71 Canada Cedar Pole Galloway Wood preservation

57/6455 CPR Revelstoke/Exeter Off Site Revelstoke Rail yard

10696 Crofton Waterfront Crofton Smelter and tailings

1540 Domtar Coquitlam Wood preservation

9465, 9466, 9467 Dockside Lands Victoria Mixed industrial

2203 Meadow Avenue – Koppers Burnaby Lumber treatment

1700 Ladysmith Harbour Ladysmith Various

6670 Malahat Soil Malahat Soil stockpile

445 Mitchell Island Vancouver Steel manufacturing

3141 Nexen Squamish Chlor-alkali plant

4188 Quesnel Legion Drive Quesnel City works, bulk fuel storage, rail yard

331 Rio Tinto Alcan Kitimat Smelter

354 Rock Bay Victoria Coal gasification plant

13 Southeast False Creek Vancouver Mixed industrial

3120 Sixth and Cambie Vancouver Rail yard

3730, 4119 Smithers Bulk Plants Smithers Bulk fuel storage

2421 Skeena Cellulose Prince Rupert Pulp mill

5819 Sullivan Mine Kimberley Lead-zinc mine

3232 Taylor Gas Plant Taylor Gas refinery

3250 Trail Smelter Trail Lead smelter

4291 Union Bay Coal Pile Union Bay Coal waste

9 Vancouver Wharves Vancouver Industrial shipping

1419 Versatile Shipyard Vancouver Shipbuilding, wood preservation

9930 Woodfibre Squamish Pulp mill

Table 4. High profile sites

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Soil loaded into a rail car at the soil-holding and treatment area

A view of proposed future developments

Nexen: Former Chlor-alkali Plant, Squamish

Timeline

1965: Chlor-alkali plant built on the Squamish River estuary by FMC Canada

1970: Original wastewater treatment plant built

1989: Nexen buys plant from FMC Canada and assumes environmental liability

1991: Plant shuts down; Ministry of Environment becomes involved and recommends the company pursue independent remediation

1999: Remediation order issued by MOE

2003: Site remediation complete

2004: Provincial Crown transfers the site to the District of Squamish

2004: Special Environmental Award presented to Nexen by the Minister of Environment

Overview

The former Nexen chlor-alkali plant site is located south of the town of Squamish. It operated from the late 1960s to 1991 to produce caustic soda, hydrochlo-ric acid, and chlorine. These products for the pulp and paper industry were manufactured using mercury-cell technology, resulting in losses of mercury to the environment via plant exhaust and effluent. Of the 18-hectare site, the southern six hectares became heavily contaminated with mercury at hazardous waste levels in an old lagoon and below the plant process area over the course of the plant’s 26 operat-ing years. After four years of hard work and $40 million spent, this complex remediation project was successfully completed. The innovative technologies developed and the lessons learned have provided those involved with additional remedial tools and an expanded knowledge base – significant assets that can be shared with other practitioners and used in future remediation projects.

Innovations

The risk assessment undertaken at the former Nexen site was a groundbreaking element of the remedia-tion process because of the remarkably large area of land covered. This area included upper Howe Sound and offsite lands and water bodies extending up to five kilometres from the plant boundary.

A key innovation developed during the remediation involved excavating contaminated soil within an area with strong tidal influences on groundwater elevations. Mercury-contaminated sludge from an early water treatment system at the site had been disposed of in an unlined lagoon, which was

excavated as part of the remediation. The lagoon area was divided into more than 30 strips for the excava-tion process. Because of tidal fluctuation, resulting in a very limited daily work window, dedicated excava-tors and dump trucks were able to excavate and then backfill just one strip each day.

A total of 150,000 tonnes of mercury-contaminated soil and sludge was shipped to Alberta for disposal over the four years of remediation. Before the heavily contaminated soil could be shipped, soil stabilization technology was used to ensure the mercury was not leachable. This new stabilization process was later recognized and documented by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

As well, new soil-washing technology was developed for soil that had less severe mercury contamination. Mercury was recovered from the soil at an onsite soil treatment plant, and the cleaned product was reused as backfill. This technology is now a commercial process used worldwide. The water treatment plant itself was another notable example of new technol-ogy: innovative processes were developed to ensure the mercury levels in the treated water were safe for


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Dock at the southern tip of the site

discharge to Howe Sound. However, it was viewed as even more environmentally acceptable to re-inject the treated water into local groundwater and thus there was no surface water discharge during later stages of the remediation.

Finally, foreshore (intertidal) groundwater profiling techniques developed at the former Nexen site are still in use today. Discrete groundwater measurements are taken at varying depths to accurately delineate the dissolved mercury plume and track its attenu-ation prior to discharge to Howe Sound. It was this technology that led to the discovery that although the majority of contaminated surface soils had been removed, a deeper source of mercury continues to contribute to a persistent groundwater mercury plume. A new water treatment plant and a targeted groundwater capture system to control the plume is in place and monitoring at a reduced frequency are ongoing to ensure that levels of mercury at the point of discharge into Howe Sound remain acceptable for aquatic life.

Key Lessons Learned

Along with the accomplishments made in contami-nated soil technology and groundwater profiling techniques as the Nexen project progressed, a num-ber of key lessons were learned. The importance of having effective project management and a strategy with a clear vision for the future was apparent from the beginning. Part of the management strategy was to foster a strong sense of the importance of partner-ships between Nexen, the ministry, and a wide range of other stakeholders.

Community engagement was key. Public meetings were held with environmental groups, representatives from the Squamish First Nation, and other communi-ty members to identify concerns, discuss toxicological objectives of the risk assessment, and share the risk assessment results at the end of the project.

Proceeding with the project in this fashion led to fairness, transparency, and a high level of public support. As a basis for that transparency, the regulato-ry procedure for the remediation was made available on the ministry web site. As well, the remediation order issued to Nexen underwent approximately 25 amendments, which included stakeholder input that served to clarify and strengthen it before comple-tion. In total, more than 10 stakeholder groups were actively involved in the regulatory review process. The Squamish First Nation was involved from the begin-ning. Having their own legal counsel and technical consultant, they made a strong contribution to the remediation process by providing third-party review of the proceedings.

In 2004, the Provincial Crown transferred the former Nexen site to the District of Squamish. Having received prime waterfront property, complete with a

ThE yEAR IN DETAIL (CONTINUED)“Innovative technologies were developed by NORAM Engineering, a Vancouver based company. New technologies developed at the Squamish site used ‘waste to treat a waste’ technologies and ad-opted the Green Chemistry concept [to promote inno-vative chemical technologies that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture, and use of chemical products] for remedial solutions. These technologies are now commercially available for use in the remediation of sites with heavy metal contaminants in soil and water and provide a credible, proven, remedial solu-tion in a sophisticated regulatory environment whilst minimizing contingent liability. The technologies have been granted US patents and are marketed as Ligmet™ (solids treatment) and Lignor™ (water treatment).

The technologies are now being considered for treating contaminated leachable tailings in the mining industry prior to storage, in the treatment of Acid Mine Drainage waters, and the treatment of water and soil contaminated with arsenic. Since the completion of the Squamish project, private and government funded research on the development of environmental technologies linked to the findings at the Squamish site have resulted in seven peer reviewed environmental technology papers being published and three US patents granted with one US patent pending.

Favorable, independent studies on the suitability of the Ligmet™ technology for treating leachable mining wastes, presently being stored under sea-water, have been conducted in the world recognized research facility CSIRO, Australia, for Newmont mining corporation.”

– Tony Walsh, NORAM Project Manager – Technology

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Plant process area, soil-holding and treatment area, and strip excavations in Old Lagoon

Former Minister Joyce Murray with Randy Gossen, Vice President, Safety, Environment and Social Responsibility, Nexen, and David Boulter, Project Manager, Nexen Remediation Project

Former Minister Joyce Murray and Randy Gossen, Vice President, Safety, Environment and Social Responsibility, Nexen, with Peggy Evans and Alan McCammon, Land Remediation Section

Cleanup of mercury contamination


sandy beach, the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation is currently working on development options for the area. As part of this, Squamish is participating in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Neighbourhood Development pilot program, designed by the U.S. Green Buildings Council to test its certification system for sustainable neighbourhood design. As well, Squamish is a Smart Growth on the Ground community, using “green” standards in buildings and infrastructure to reduce environmental impacts. The potential for growth at the waterfront represents significant economic benefits for Squamish. The town’s economy, formerly reliant on the forestry and rail sectors, has shifted dramatically in recent years towards the tourism and service sectors.

On January 22, 2004, Nexen was awarded a Special Environmental Award for its work in cleaning up the site of the former chlor-alkali plant. As expressed by the then Minister of Environment, Joyce Murray, “Nexen set a new standard of excellence in the cleanup of this site.”

The work at this site demonstrates the potential of land that, despite its limited usefulness when contaminated, can emerge as a valuable and desir-able development prospect once remediated. In this sense, the Nexen project exemplifies a classic brownfield reclamation project and underscores the value of implementing a new brownfields strategy in British Columbia.

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Marshland area

Marshland area, Fraser River

Riparian zone

Meadow Avenue: Former Wood Treatment Facility, Burnaby

Timeline

1931 – 1983: Wood treatment facility operated on the site

1983: Conditional ministry approval to Koppers International Canada Ltd.’s cleanup plan, contingent on further groundwater monitoring

1987: Monitoring activities cease

1995: Investigations reveal significant discharges of creosote into the Fraser River

1997: Remediation order issued under the new contaminated sites legislation

2002: Groundwater treatment starts

2003: Containment system erected, groundwater treatment ceases

2004: Groundwater monitoring starts

2007: Post monitoring of discharge concentrations continues

Overview

The Meadow Avenue site in Burnaby operated for 50 years as a wood preservation facility owned by Koppers International Canada Ltd. Contamination resulted when creosote used in the preservation operations was lost to the environment. As a dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), the creosote contamination permeated soil, groundwater, and sediment far below the site’s surface and in the nearby Fraser River. This site represents the early use of a risk management strategy to address contamina-tion issues in British Columbia.

Innovations

The remediation strategy used at this site involved isolating the contaminated areas from the surrounding environment. The purpose of the design was to provide long-term hydraulic/constitu-ent control through the combined effects of physical impedance, flow diversion, and natural attenuation processes. This approach ensured that organisms were unable to access affected areas, and it helped the site owner avoid the extensive cost and time expenditures associated with removal and disposal of large volumes of contaminated sediment – up to six metres deep in the Fraser River. Other benefits of the strategy included less waste to be dealt with, and less time before the area could be used for further construction.

To prevent the migration of contaminants, a number of on- and offshore sheet pile walls were installed to isolate contaminated sediments and control groundwater. Connecting the walls was an innovative “cap,” consisting of a protective sand and gravel layer,


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Marshland area

Groundwater treatment plant

Marshland area

Wharf area

over which was a low permeability layer of clay-like material called Aquablok, and finally another sand and gravel layer. The cap acted as the foundation for a constructed marshland area, and a shoreline exten-sion was developed into a riparian habitat. Structural features included offshore densification piles for seismic resistance and both onshore and offshore berms to provide stability and erosion protection.

The containment method used at this site ensured that groundwater contamination would be attenu-ated to below risk-based criteria before it could reach the Fraser River. Site-specific toxicity reference values (TRVs) represented the acceptable concentrations for constituents discharging to the river bed from upland source areas and from sediments between the sheet pile walls. Innovative computer modeling was developed and used to simulate long-term trends for the migration of contaminants through groundwater. The results of substance fate and transport studies were then used in building the previously described remedial infrastructure at the site.


Monitoring and collection wells for DNAPL were also installed, as were six discharge zone groundwater monitoring wells. These wells ensure that the contin-ued effectiveness of the contamination containment system can be verified.

Key Lessons Learned

The risk-based approach used in this project was a very successful method of remediation. In addition to being a sound remedial strategy in terms of finan-cial and time expenditures, the wharf area formed by the cap added economic potential to the property by providing access to the Fraser River. The new marsh and riparian areas also replaced the original industrial foreshore, adding ecological diversity to the area.

The implementation of post-remediation monitoring was another important aspect of this project. The ongoing monitoring of groundwater wells in the Fraser River provides valuable information regarding both the migration and attenuation of contaminants. The cost versus necessity of continued environmental

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Groundwater treatment plant

Marshland, riparian zone, and wharf area


monitoring of contaminated groundwater is an issue of ongoing discussion at this site.

Because the remediation approach was novel, monitoring long-term effectiveness remains a high priority. Features of the site’s long-term Performance Monitoring Plan include annual reports for 10 years on each of the site’s main remedial features: hydraulic control, sheet pile, engineered cap, habitat com-pensation and DNAPL collection. In addition, annual reports are provided to the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans on the intertidal marsh and riparian habitat that was constructed onsite.

Many stakeholders and regulators were involved in this project from the early stages, and the initial remediation order underwent a number of amend-ments. These revisions were developed based on dialogue between the ministry, site owners, and interested third parties and their respective experts. These parties debated the risks associated with the contamination at the site, the necessity for remedia-tion, and the best remedial approach.

Together, project participants developed a new solu-tion to the problem of contaminated sediments – an appropriate and cost-effective alternative to dredging and removing affected material. This unique solution may act as a model for other projects of this nature.

Marshland area

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MAjOR PROjECTS UNDER ThE ENvIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS

As a participant in British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment (EA) process, the Land Remediation Section provides regulatory and technical guidance on contaminated site remediation to proponents of projects requiring provincial environmental assess-ment certification and/or federal screening. Staff worked on the following EA projects (assessment and/or implementation phases) during 2007/08:

Gateway Program Environmental Assessments•

South Fraser Perimeter Road Project •(SFPR; Surrey, Delta)

Port Mann / Highway 1 Project •(PMH1; Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, Langley)

Whistler Athletes’ Village and Legacy •Neighbourhood (Whistler)

Canada Line Rapid Transit Project •(Vancouver, Richmond, YVR)

Review of the SFPR EA application continued in 2007/08 and the PMH1 EA application was submitted and reviewed during the year. In both instances, commitments and assurances for project implemen-tation were prepared for review. Additional meetings involving owners of demolition and land-clearing landfills along a portion of the proposed SFPR Project corridor in Delta were convened by the municipality to encourage the proper closure and potential future redevelopment of these lands in conjunction with the proposed highway project.

A final determination that part of the Whistler Athletes’ Village site is not contaminated was issued on the recommendation of an approved professional in March 2008.

A number of small independent remediation activities were undertaken along the Canada Line Rapid Transit Project construction corridor during the year as well as several site remediation and certification projects.

BROwNfIELDS AND BROwNfIELD REDEvELOPMENT

Brownfields are vacant or underutilized commercial and industrial properties which, although they may be contaminated, also have an active potential for redevelopment. Redeveloped and returned to pro-ductive use, brownfield sites can generate significant economic, social, and environmental benefits and more sustainable communities overall. The ministry’s 2007/08–2009/10 Service Plan identified development of a brownfield strategy as one of the key initiatives to reduce contamination from toxins and wastes and meet the ministry’s goal of clean and safe water, land, and air.

British Columbia’s new Brownfield Renewal Strategy was publicly announced on February 25, 2008, at Dockside Green in Victoria. Led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and supported by the Ministry of Environment’s Land Remediation Section, the strategy’s range of initiatives are designed to reduce barriers to the timely and responsible redevelopment of brownfield sites, both private and Crown-owned. These initiatives fall into one of three general

categories: (i) streamlining and increasing flexibility of Environment’s remediation liability and approv-als regime; (ii) providing financial incentives (e.g. brownfield renewal fund, tax incentives/disincentives, development fast-tracking); and (iii) increasing aware-ness and capacity for brownfield redevelopment in the Province.

The strategy is the culmination of several years of research and strategic stakeholder consultation, including work undertaken by the Land Remediation Section in 2003/04 and 2006/07. In support of strategy implementation, the section provided the National Brownfield Associations Canada (NBA Canada) with funding to develop advice and make recommenda-tions on increasing flexibilities for remediation liability transfer and on preventing future contaminated sites.

Additional brownfield-related initiatives led or sup-ported by the Land Remediation Section in 2007/08 included the following:

Continuing sponsorship of NBA Canada (B.C. •Chapter) and the Canadian Brownfield Network (CBN) to assist these partner organizations in their work to promote brownfield redevelopment. NBA Canada is a not-for-profit educational organiza-tion promoting the cleanup and responsible redevelopment of brownfield sites in Canada and the United States. The CBN advocates brownfield redevelopment as an essential component of sustainable communities and urban revitalization in Canada.

Support of ongoing and proposed brown-•field redevelopment projects including the Whistler Olympic Athletes’ Village and Legacy


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Neighbourhood, Southeast False Creek (Vancouver Olympic Athletes’ Village), Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion, and the Crofton and Ladysmith waterfronts on the southeast coast of Vancouver Island.

Conference and seminar presentations on the •section’s brownfield-related and streamlining initiatives were made in Vancouver (Marsh, NBA B.C., UBCM, Canadian Institute), Toronto (Strategy Institute), and Montreal (Canadian Brownfields 2007).

Participation on the organizing committees for •the Canadian Brownfields 2008 conference to take place in Toronto, and the National Brownfield Associations’ brownfield redevelopment confer-ence in Arizona in 2009.

Addition of a new key topic on the •Land Remediation Section’s web site (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/brownfields/index.htm) providing a fact sheet, project profiles, and Internet links regarding brownfields and brownfield redevelopment.

OUTREACh AND INfORMATION

STAkEHOLDER OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIPS

Presentations and consultation sessions continue to be an important way for Land Remediation Section staff to share information and encourage input on a variety of contaminated sites issues. These sessions help us work towards goals highlight-ed in “Looking Ahead” in last year’s Annual Report:

Table 5a. Presentations by Land Remediation Section staff

Presentations

Date Title Audience Location

April 4, 2007Creating a Brownfield Friendly Regulatory System: The B.C. Experience

Strategy Institute's Brownfields Financing, Liability and P3 Solutions Summit

Toronto

April 24, 2007 Overview of Ministry Initiatives Marsh Brownfield Seminar Vancouver

June 1, 2007 Contaminated Sites Updates Risk Assessment Forum Workshop Vancouver

June 28, 2007Site Profiles: Developing procedures for site investigation and application release decisions

UBCM Environmental Conference Richmond

July 11, 2007Update on Ministry Regulatory and Other Initiatives National Brownfield Associations B.C.

Chapter EventVancouver

CSAP Society Development Update

September 25, 2007 Clinic - Illuminating the Brownfield Black Box UBCM Annual Convention Vancouver

September 25, 2007Contaminated Sites Approved Professional Society: Overview and Update

Air and Waste Management Association Victoria

October 17, 2007Status Report. Recent Developments in the Ministry's Contaminated Sites Program

Environmental Managers' Association Vancouver

October 17, 2007Panel Discussion: Should You Become a Brownfields Professional

National Brownfields Association Conference

Chicago

October 18, 2007 Cross-Canada Regulatory Checkup CUI Canadian Brownfields Conference Montreal

October 31, 2007Roster of the Whole and Contaminated Sites Approved Professionals

Roster of Approved Professionals Vancouver

November 14, 2007 B.C. Contaminated Sites Regulation UpdateNortheast British Columbia Petroleum Producers Group

Fort St. John

November 29, 2007 Contaminated Sites Practioners’ WorkshopEnvironmental Consultants and Practioners

Vancouver

November 29, 2007Interim Guidance: Site Vapour Assessment and Screening Level Risk Assessment

Attendees of the GeoEnviroLogic Professional Development Seminar

Vancouver

December 5, 2007B.C. Land Development: Re-development of Infill Sites, Brownfields, and Vacant Land

Canadian Institute Conference Vancouver

January 18 and 25, 2008

B.C. Contaminated Sites Regulation Update Bodycote Testing Group, 2008 Environmental Seminar

Calgary and Edmonton

February 15, 2008Contaminated Sites in British Columbia, A Regulatory Perspective

4th Year Civil Engineering ClassUniversity of British Columbia

February 29, 2008 Interim Guidance: Site Vapour AssessmentAttendees of the GeoEnviroLogic Soil Vapour Session

Vancouver

February 29, 2008 B.C. Contaminated Sites Regulation Update Canadian Land Reclamation Conference Red Deer


http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/brownfields/index.htmhttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/brownfields/index.htm

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expanding partnerships, sharing and obtaining information about innovative remedial strategies, and promoting a culture of lifelong learning within our organization. Tables 5a and 5b outline a number of these sessions that occurred during 2007/08.

Table 5b. Consultation sessions with Land Remediation Section staff

Consultation Sessions

Date Topic Audience Location

February 27 and 28, 2008 Land Remediation Update • Contaminated sites •stakeholders

Vancouver

Procedures for Establishing the Boundaries of a Site•

Protocol 12, Site Risk Classification System •

Interim Guidance: Site Vapour Assessment •

Air Concentration Criteria •

Salt, Barium and CSR Schedules•

Protocol 13, Screening Level Risk Assessment•

Site Profile Processing Procedure •

Groundwater Policy Development •

Compliance Strategy •

Upstream Oil and Gas Sector Initiatives •

CSAP Society Progress Report•

Science Advisory Board for Contaminated Sites in British •Columbia, Update on Activities

Safe Environments Programme, Health Canada Contaminated •Sites Draft Workplan for 2008-09

Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Brownfield Renewal Strategy•

National Brownfields Association•

Fact Sheet 19: The Site Profile System •

Fact Sheet 22: External Contract Review Option: •Summary of Fees and Time Schedule

Fact Sheet 25: Fees for Contaminated Sites Services •

Fact Sheet 28: An Overview of the Ministry’s •Contaminated Sites Services

Fact Sheet 29: Subscribing to Our Contaminated Sites •E-mail Service

Administrative Guidance document 1: •Completing and Submitting Site Profiles

Administrative Guidance document 2: Site Profile •Processing Requirements for Municipalities and Approving Officers

Administrative Guidance document 3: Applying for •Contaminated Sites Services

Administrative Guidance document 5: Approved •Professional Recommendations Relating to Low and Moderate Risk Sites

Administrative Guidance document 6: Independent •Remediation Where Local Government Approvals Are Required

Technical Guidance document 18: Standards for •Substances in Schedule 10 of the Contaminated Sites Regulation

Interim Guidance document: Site Vapour Assessment •

Protocol 6: Eligibility of Applications for Review by •Approved Professionals

Procedure: Procedures for the Roster of •Approved Professionals under the Contaminated Sites Regulation

introduced, shows our continued efforts towards achieving this ongoing goal.

UPDATED

Contaminated Sites Services application form •

Site Information Request application form •

Notification of Likely or Actual Offsite •Migration form

File Contents Retrieval application form •

POLICy, PROTOCOL, AND gUIDANCE

In the 2006/07 Land Remediation Section Annual Report, one of our goals in “Looking Ahead” was the continued introduction of new legislative and regulatory amendments to provide greater clarity, flexibility, and fairness to all remediation and brown-field redevelopment stakeholders. The following list of regulatory guidance documents that were revised in the past fiscal year, as well as new ones that were


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NEW

Summary of Site Condition form •

Notification of Likely or Actual Offsite •Migration form

Fact Sheet 36: Increased Flood Risk Environmental •Protection Measures

Fact Sheet 37: Site Profile Freeze and •Release Provisions

Fact Sheet 38: Brownfields and •Brownfield Development

Fact Sheet 39: Strategy for Managing •Monitoring Reports

Fact Sheet 40: Security for Contaminated Sites •

Technical Guidance document 7: Supplemental •Guidance for Risk Assessments

Interim Guidance document: •Site Vapour Assessment

Procedure: Tracking Time and Expenses •

Protocol 8: Security for Contaminated Sites •

Fact sheets can be found at: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/fact_sheets/index.htm

Administrative and technical guidance can be found at: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/ guidance/index.htm

Policy, procedure, and protocol documents can be found at: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/policy_procedure_protocol/index.htm

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

In “Looking Ahead” in the Land Remediation Section’s 2006/07 Annual Report, one of the goals highlighted for the future was effective communication, including improved access to site information. Through the hard work of section staff, significant progress has been made towards this goal, as outlined below.

Site Registry

Through the provincial Site Registry, the ministry continued to provide clear information to the public in the past fiscal year about site investigations and cleanups conducted across British Columbia. Making this information available is a requirement of the Environmental Management Act and the Contaminated Sites Regulation. At the end of the fis-cal year, information on approximately 9,100 sites was available on the Site Registry, and 15,585 BC Online transactions had been made by our stakeholders to obtain information about these records.

Site Information Requests

Public access to information from paper records and databases is available through the site information request (SIR) process. In 2007/08, 53 requests were made for Site Registry information and 65 for file retrieval information, for a total of 118 site information requests. Typical turnaround times to fulfill these requests ranged from two to four weeks.

CS e-Link System

In 2007/08, 47 messages were sent through the CS e-Link system to provide subscribers with up-to-date information about contaminated sites issues and updates to the section’s web site. By the end of the fiscal year, 883 people had signed up to receive these free informational e-mails. The web site also contains a list of archived CS e-link messages for each year since 2002.

New Web Site Design

On July 4, 2007, the Land Remediation Section’s web site home page was adapted to the new government standard design. The new template is based on fundamental web usability principles and offers improved architecture and navigation of the content, so users can more quickly and easily find the informa-tion they are looking for, regardless of their knowl-edge base. Key features of the new site include:

expandable/collapsible menus •

a right-hand column to highlight new items •

improved search functionality •

a “printer version” option •

a “text sizer” at the top right •

a new, shorter Internet address •

a new list defining acronyms •

an expanded Key Topics section•

new FAQs•


http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/fact_sheets/index.htmhttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/fact_sheets/index.htmhttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/guidance/index.htmhttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/guidance/index.htmhttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/policy_procedure_protocol/index.htmhttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/policy_procedure_protocol/index.htm

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fINANCIAL MATTERS

Expenditures

In 2007/08, the Land Remediation Section had an operations budget of $2,611,634. The total it spent was $3,067,367 (see Table 6).

Table 6: Summary of expenditures in 2007/08.

Description $

Salaries and benefits 1,764,579

Staff travel 117,473

Professional services 617,073

Transfers and grants 491,880

Other expenses 76,362

Total 3,067,367

The section received $685,000 for the 2007/08 fiscal year for contracts and grants. Of this, $419,253 (61%) was spent on external contract review of contami-nated sites service applications.

Revenue

In 2007/08, the Land Remediation Section raised approximately $3.7 million through service fees for the Sustainable Environment Fund, a provincial govern-ment account dedicated to supporting environmental protection and renewal initiatives in British Columbia. Of the total, $634,223 was Site Registry revenue.

Contracts and Grants

The Land Remediation Section administered a number of contracts and awarded grants in 2007/08, including those shown in Table 7.

Table 7: Contracts administered and grants awarded in 2007/08

Contracts

Organization Project/Objective

Various environmental consulting firms External contract reviews – reviews for reports of non-high risk sites

Oculus Design + Marketing Graphic design for annual report

SeacorGuidance for Contaminated Sites Approved Professionals (CSAPs) in drafting Determinations for whether a site is contaminated

CGI Information Systems Contaminated Sites Application Tracking System (CATs) upgrades

GeoEnviroLogic Consulting (Reidar Zapf-Gilje) Guidance for the external review process

Frank Falzon Site profile processing procedure facilitation

Frank Falzon Protocol 12 facilitation

West Coast Editorial Associates Professional writing services

Golder Associates (Guy Patrick) Development of groundwater investigation tools guidance

Opper and Varco Development of methodology to incorporate CCME 14th liability principle into the legal regime

MacDonald Environmental Sciences Development of sediment criteria for petroleum hydrocarbons

Golder Associates (Ian Hers) Development of LNAPL mobility characterization guidance

Grants

Organization Project/Objective

Contaminated Sites Approved Professionals (CSAP) Review of groundwater guidance draft documents

Contaminated Sites Approved Professionals Audits of Approved Professional performance

CSAP Online Submission Templates Development of online submission system for CSAP

National Brownfields Association Canada Annual sponsorship

National Brownfields Association Canada Liability transfer and contaminated site prevention studies

Canadian Brownfields Network Annual sponsorship

Simon Fraser - Frank Gobas Development of wild lands frame work - Phase II

Science Advisory Board (SAB) Development of groundwater guidance associated with fractured bedrock

Science Advisory Board Development of risk assessment guidance related to policy updates

Science Advisory Board SAB infrastructure and document review

Science Advisory Board Soil vapour field research

Sustainable Fisheries Foundation Toxicity workshop followup

Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry – Pacific NW Student travel and funding for annual conference in 2008

Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry – North America Global Partnership funding


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Fiscal year 2007/08 provided new opportunities and challenges for the ministry and the Land Remediation Section. We have been leading the development of several new procedures and innovative approaches to facilitate the remediation of contaminated sites across the province. Several of these initiatives are at the forefront in Canada and reflect the government’s and ministry’s commitments to “lead the world in sustain-able environmental management, with the best air and water quality, and the best fisheries management bar none.”

The Land Remediation Section will continue to make use of adaptive management strategies, stakeholder partnerships, best science, monitoring and compli-ance, and stakeholder feedback to support continu-ous improvements to the development of guidance, policies, procedures, standards, and criteria that support the assessment, management, and remedia-tion of sites in the province.

Some specific areas and priorities being pursued include the following:

Contaminated Sites Approved Professionals •(CSAP) Society

The CSAP Society was formed in 2007. As the min-istry focuses its efforts on high risk and high profile sites, CSAP and its members will play a greater role in the oversight of other sites in the province. The Land Remediation Section will continue to work with the society and its board to establish priori-ties for guidance and policy needs, identify areas for regulatory clarity, and develop new guidance, practice, and training for professionals. The section

will seek to increase capacity in the private sector to achieve further efficiencies and additionally monitor the CSAP model for efficacy.

Oil and Gas•

Throughout 2007/08, staff from the Land Remediation Section met with members from the Oil and Gas Commission, Ministry of Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources, and industry and regula-tory counterparts from Alberta Environment. These meetings have focused on identifying regulatory gaps, streamlining regulatory opportunities, and discussing opportunities for harmonization and synergies. Work in this sector is anticipated to be a priority for the section in the years ahead.

Provincial Brownfield Renewal Strategy•

Working with the Crown Land Restoration Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, the Land Remediation Section is participating in the development and implementation of the new B.C. Brownfield Renewal Strategy. The outcomes of this initiative are aimed at providing tools and strategies to encourage the rehabilitation and return of brownfield sites to productive use for the benefit of economic, social, and environmental conditions in communities across British Columbia. For information, visit: http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/clad/ccs/brownfields/renewal_strategy.html.

LOOkINg AhEAD

Climate Change•

The Land Remediation Section will continue to work on climate change initiatives and encourage remediation of sites that support sustainable and green community initiatives. Staff will seek out and provide support for innovative remedial strategies based on experience from other jurisdictions across North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union.

Groundwater Protection•

Increasingly, other jurisdictions are placing greater emphasis and importance on the protection, assessment, and remediation of groundwater and surface water affected by contaminated sites. Climate change, growing communities, and increased demands for water are necessitating the development of new policies, regulations and planning tools. We will continue to work with our counterparts in the Water Stewardship Division to ensure we protect and restore water quality for future generations.

http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/clad/ccs/brownfields/renewal_strategy.htmlhttp://www.al.gov.bc.ca/clad/ccs/brownfields/renewal_strategy.html

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Web site: www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation

Contact List by Topic: www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/contact.htm

E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 250 387-4441

Mailing Address: Ministry of Environment Land Remediation Section PO Box 9342 Stn Prov Govt Victoria B.C. V8W 9M1

fOR fURThER INfORMATION

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediationhttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/contact.htmmailto:[email protected]

Message from the Assistant Deputy MinisterGlossaryHIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEARSite SnapshotsBamberton (updated) Southeast False Creek (updated) Trail (updated) Brilliant

Brownfields and Brownfield ReDevelopmentStakeholder Outreach and Partnerships

setting the stageOur TeamAbout Contaminated Sites and Our Legislative FrameworkLinks to Ministry Service Plan Program Accomplishments

The Year in Detail Identification of SitesCleanup AccomplishmentsExternal ReviewDirector’s Roster of Approved Professionals and the CSAP Society

Site RemediationHigh Profile SitesNexen: Former Chlor-alkali Plant, SquamishMeadow Avenue: Former Wood Treatment Facility, Burnaby

Major Projects under the Environmental Assessment ProcessBrownfields and Brownfield ReDevelopmentOutreach and InformationStakeholder Outreach and Partnerships

Policy, Protocol, and GuidanceUpdatedNewAccess to Information

Financial MattersExpendituresRevenueContracts and Grants

Looking AheadFor Further Information

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LAND REMEDIATION SECTION...MESSAgE fROM ThE ASSISTANT DEPUTy MINISTER 3 I would like to welcome you...

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