|
Environment and Conservation
December 13, 2010
The following statement was given today in the
House of Assembly by the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of
Innovation Trade and Rural Development, on behalf of the Honourable
Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation:
Areas of Concern in Buchans Successfully
Remediated
In the fall of 2009, the
Provincial Government contracted Conestoga Rovers Limited to conduct
soil testing in the Town of Buchans, as a result of environmental
concerns arising from the former Abitibi mine site. The testing
identified elevated levels of heavy metals in some of the samples, and
the Provincial Government made a commitment to address the immediate
health concerns of the people.
I am pleased to rise today on behalf of the
Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation,
and report that the Provincial Government has honoured its commitment to
Buchans. We have concluded the work on the two major sources of
contamination in the town - the tailings spill area and the Mucky Ditch.
This ditch,
which flows from the tailings spill area through and under the town, was
identified as a place of concern. Furthermore, based on a feasibility
study, we selected the cap-in-place option for the tailings spill area,
as it met the objective of protecting human health and the environment
in the most feasible manner.
The Provincial Government held two public
meetings in Buchans to inform the people of our findings and to assure
them that we would act upon their concerns. Subsequently, in Budget
2010, we committed $9 million for projects to address the two main
source areas that were contributing to the lead in soil levels in
Buchans. Along with the capping of the tailings spill area and
remediation of the Mucky Ditch by the Department of Environment and
Conservation, the rehabilitation of the tailings dams and capping of
exposed tailings by the Department of Natural Resources is also ongoing.
The Provincial Government also made blood lead
testing available for any concerned residents through the Central Health
Authority. Furthermore, the department placed a mobile air quality
monitoring trailer near the remediation activities in Buchans to monitor
total and fine particulate during the project. This information was made
available on our website in an effort to keep residents informed.
Our government has been proactive and
responsive to the needs of the people of Buchans. The completion of this
project is a
testimony to the great
emphasis we place on our environment and the remediation of areas of
concern.
The Provincial Government will continue
to promote a sustainable environment and healthy
ecosystems to meet the social, physical, cultural and economic needs of
our people.
2010 12 13
1:45 p.m.
|
|
|
|
