Clean Closure of Island Vacuum Crowdis Mountain Facility

The Department of Environment and Labour is wrapping up its work toward a clean closure of the Island Vacuum Crowdis Mountain Septage Facility.

In September 2006, based on the recommendations of a community liaison committee, the Department of Environment and Labour committed to undertake a clean closure of the septage facility.

A clean closure, as defined in the 2006 guidelines for the handling, treatment and disposal of septage, is the removal of all lagoon contents.

"A comprehensive surface and groundwater monitoring program has been in place since the cleanup began and will continue for one year after the work is complete," said Mark Parent, Minister of Environment and Labour. "All sampling results to date indicate there has been no impact on groundwater or MacDonald Brook."

A closure plan for the facility was developed and included removal of the solids and liquids, implementation of a groundwater and surface water monitoring program, and site reclamation.

Since the cleanup began, about 4,250 tonnes of material on the site have been removed and properly disposed of at approved composting facilities. Recent soil testing results indicate that all sludge material have been removed. If any sludge material is found during the reclamation, it will be removed and properly disposed of.

"Upon removal of the material from the site, samples of the lagoon walls and base were taken and tested to ensure no additional material remains," said Roger Munroe, regional manager at Environment and Labour. "Our results show that no materials remain in the lagoon and final site reclamation is ready to proceed."

The clean-up process is expected to be complete by the end of this month.