Presentation to City Council - March 20, 2009, created and presented by Alison Taplay.

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Reference: 98484

AUG 1 2008

Coby De Graauw Powell River Legacy 53 - 6271 McAndrew Ave Powell River BC V8A 5G8

Dear Coby De Graauw:

Thank you for your letter of April 21, 2008 and July 18, 2008 regarding the proposed expansion of the Catalyst Landfill site in Powell River, BC. I apologize for the delay in responding.

An application by Catalyst Pulp and Paper of Powell River BC to expand a controversial landfill area led to more than a year of deliberations by the Ministry of the Environment, ( MoE ) and has recently resulted in the granting of a 40 year permit to dump up to 1.3 million tons of ash creating a 70' - 90' high fly-ash mountain.

The site is adjacent to the highway and in the residential / agricultural community of Wildwood. The application was strongly opposed by the Wildwood Ratepayers Association and led to the establishment of the Powell River Legacy group, (PRL) who fought this application to its bitter conclusion.

PRL opposition did lead to a number of conditions that had to be satisfied by Catalyst on behalf of our community’s safety: the testing of air quality, drinking water, ground water, and lake trout. Catalyst is also obligated to continue a search for alternate uses for this unwanted waste material.

Environmental Appeal Board

All appeals must be faxed or received by registered mail by September 5th, 2008!!

Appeal Process documents:

• Overview ( PDF 41KB)
• How to File an Appeal
• Environmental Appeal Board Procedure Manual ( PDF 193KB)

Editor, The Peak re: Mill receives permit, Aug. 20 2008

For several years PR Legacy (a citizens’ group) and many citizens of Powell River have opposed the expansion of the Wildwood landfill by Catalyst—expansion that would leave our community with a 90 foot industrial mountain of fly ash (1.3 million tons) from their incinerator.

The Flyash Mountain will be 9 stories high, on top of a former toxic dump, in an area of seismic risk. Catalyst’s motive, of course, is to save money.

Despite a great deal of public outcry, the Ministry of the Environment has now granted Catalyst a permit to go ahead with this expansion for 20 to 40 years into the future. It’s a sad day for Powell River.

A bit of history on the toxic dump.

Items in the amended permit that are better than the original permit amendment application:

History

In late 2007, a request was made by Alison Taplay for an opportunity to have anonymous persons to step forward and provide evidence of alleged wrong doing or technical problems surrounding the proposed Catalyst Landfill amendment application. On January 21,2008 Jeff Foumier and Conservation Officer Gerry Lister took information from these individuals on an anonymous basis to look into the substance of these complaints.

The individuals that stepped forward provided a mix of concerns, second hand information and first hand observations of potential issues. It was apparent to me that certain concerns had technical merit that would warrant ministry follow-up while others did not. It was also apparent to me that a number of issues were raised out of a genuine concern for human health and the environment while others appear to be in the primary interest of severely restricting or shutting down use of the landfill.

Dear Permittee:

Enclosed is Amended Permit 4565 issued under the provisions of the Environmental Management Act. Your attention is respectfully directed to the terms and conditions outlined in the permit. An annual fee will be determined according to the Permit Fees Regulation.

The local paper mill in Powell River BC, operated by Catalyst, is seeking to reopen the sealed off industrial waste dump directly adjacent to the long-established community of Wildwood. Following are details of the proposed expansion:

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1. Basic Industrial Waste Dump Facts
2. Health Risks
3. Dust
4. Leachate
5. Flawed Public Process
6. Zoning Problems
7. The Unprecedented Plan

(Download PDF)

May 3, 2008
John Keays et al

Summary

This first complete comparative review and analysis of the dioxin and furan results from 1993 to 2006 yields very simple and clear results.

The landfill dioxin and furan results are dominated by two main patterns.

Dioxin D8 is generally dominant throughout the landfill. Its highest results occur at the landfill's western toe above the slope.

Dioxin D6 and furan F6's very toxic results are found concentrated around well 89-5 at the eastern toe of the landfill above the slope to the lake.

A pattern of dominant dioxin D5 occurs only on the slope to the lake. This appears to originate with the asphalt capping of the landfill.