$1.9-Million PCB Clean Up

PCB-contaminated sediment will be dredged from Five Island Lake and then shipped out of the province for disposal, Gordon Balser, Minister of Transportation and Public Works, said today. Work will begin by the end of August.

Safety Kleen (On-Site) Inc. will remove the contaminated soils from the delta and half of the north bay of Five Island Lake during the next several months and then transport the sediment out of province. A $1.9-million contract was awarded today.

"The initial plan was to dredge and store the sediment on site. Getting an affordable bid that includes transporting the contaminated material off site is very good news," said Mr. Balser. "The community has worked hard with the department to get us to this very important first phase of the north bay clean up."

Improper disposal practices during the 1960s and 1970s led to the contamination of the lake system. About 75 per cent of the PCB -- or polychlorinated biphenyls -- contamination within the lake is in the north bay.

"We are extremely happy to know the dredging will start soon," said John Hoyt, chairman of the citizens liaison committee. "Clean-up of the sediments in the North Bay is top priority for the committee. To have it trucked away and not stored on site is a bonus."

The initial plan, developed in co-operation with the Liaison committee, called for dredging sediment from the lake, removing water from the sediment and storing the sediment in a clay-lined cell. The tender call reflected this plan and also asked for alternate proposals. Safety Kleen Inc. offered the low bid for both proposals, the tender and alternative.

The successful bid will see sediment dredged from the north bay and water will be removed from the sediment before it is transported to one of two disposal facilities. Sediment with a PCB-concentration under 45 parts per million will be delivered to a landfill in Ontario while sediment higher than 45 parts per million will be incinerated in Quebec.

Since 1994, when the Department of Transportation and Public Works began managing the clean up, the department has collected and contained contaminated soils from the salvage yard, neighbouring properties and an adjacent brook. Monitoring wells test groundwater quality in the area. A boat launch was built away from the north bay, and a weir was built.

Earlier this year 14 of 52 containers of contaminated soil, which came from nearby properties, were sent to Quebec for destruction. Including this contract, almost $6 million has been spent on this clean up.

"It's important to give Five Island Lake back to the community," said Mr. Balser. "I look forward to working with the community as Minister of Transportation and Public Works to see this job through."

Four contractors bid on this tender.