Independent Consultant's report

The Ministry of Environment has released its 146 page Independent Consultant's report. It is available through Catalyst's web site here:

http://www.catalystpaper.com/pdfs/powell-wildwood-landfill_2007-11.pdf

It deals only with the water issues, calling for more testing protocols, and acknowledges:

• some excedences of standards for some of the metals
• the fact that a flow of 'subsurface water' is probable through the fractured rock below the landfill
• calls for a different method of collecting and assessing the precence of dioxins & furans
• calls for an extensive monitoring system to collect water from near the bottom of Powell River with some sort of system which would filter out and collect the dioxins & furans
• gives the weakest possible support for the water collection model as used by Golder to argue against the fact that the mini landfill is leaking.



• and ends with these words (quoted from a 1995 report):

Therefore, based upon the best information available in regards to present drinking water quality, both the Wildwood Community Waterworks System and the MB Waterworks System are providing drinking water which meets the water quality standards set out in the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (5th addition). Just as MacMillan Bloedel is anxious to decommission the existing industrial landfill, the Ministry of Health also views this process as an important means of protecting the area groundwater from further degradation and looks forward to the completion of the closure. (emphasis added)