Ojibwa Landing Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment

The Town of Penetanguishene is undertaking a Risk Assessment to develop site-specific standards at a waterfront site adjacent to a major arterial road, Copeland Creek, and a provincially significant wetland. They have completed a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) which confirmed contamination (GMF 13001), but costs for a full remediation are prohibitive for the rural town with a small tax base. Through the Risk Assessment, the Town of Penetanguishene is planning to pursue alternatives strategies that allow for development while also making the site safe for the public and the environment. The 2.8 hectare site is locally referred to as Ojibwa Landing, and was operated as a campground from 1972 through to 2007. Prior to that time it functioned as a municipal landfill and public works yard from the mid-1930s to mid-1960s. The Phase II ESA confirms the presence of wide range of chemical including chlorinated solvents, metals and petroleum hydrocarbons. Although these contaminants do not appear to be migrating offsite, several are present at concentrations that greatly exceed provincial standards. Given the location of the property that is next to a creek, provincially-significant wetland, and Georgian Bay, the proposed risk assessment offers important options for long-term management of risks that are posed by the old landfill. These risks include landfill gas migration, offsite migration of impacted groundwater, and exposure of contamination to human and the surrounding environment. The study would also inform the potential need for selective waste removal and engineered controls. The Risk Assessment will use the contaminant information from the Phase II ESA to identify receptors and exposure pathways, and then develop an exposure and toxicity analysis based on site characteristics. The Town plans to use a commercial/mixed commercial land use for the purposes of the Risk Assessment. Once the strategy has been developed, the town will invite development proposals for the site that will enable the public and community to provide feedback on the proposed usage. As a condition of the eventual sale or lease of the land by the municipality to a developer, the Town would require that the existing water front trail located to the west of the property is extended through the Ojibwa Landing site. If the site remains a town asset, the municipality would monitor the groundwater and surface water and if it is sold, the ongoing monitoring of the site would be set as a condition of the sale and development of the land. Through risk management and potentially remediation, the site will become usable for park space or commercial development, as well as improving ecosystem health and water quality. The completion of a Risk Assessment Plan and Record of Site condition is in line with the Town’s Growth Management study which encourages densification in the downtown core, and the economic development strategy which promotes the development of prime real estate. It also pertains to the three pillars of the regional Severn Sound Sustainability Plan which include community well-being, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. (Project description from original funding application)