Site Assessment and Remedial Planning - Pelee Island Co-operative Property

The Pelee Island Co-operative Association (The Co-op) serves the Township of Pelee’s 170 permanent (1,500 seasonal) residents as the Township’s only outlet for fuel, groceries and postal services. Such services are particularly imperative during winter months when Pelee Island is only accessible by air. In 2016, The Co-op was ordered by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) to cease operations of the current remediation system and to conduct additional site characterization work for the purposes of addressing petroleum hydrocarbon impacted soil and groundwater on their property resulting from historical spills and releases of fuels. Prior attempts at remediation have included various forms of groundwater pump-and-treat systems and most recently, an enhanced bioremediation system which operated on a seasonal basis from 2013 to 2016. The remediation activities to date have not met the remediation goals and there was concern regarding the potential for further spreading of contaminants using the current remediation system. Based on the limited site characterization data and potential redistribution of contaminants from historical remediation system operations, a more complete understanding of site conditions (at and adjacent to the Site) will be conducted before a risk management plan and/or remedial action plan (as part of a separate scope of work) can be developed to address MOECC requirements. Due to the remote nature of Pelee Island, the investigation will utilize a multiple lines of evidence/advanced characterization approach in order to achieve delineation of the soil and groundwater impacts with one mobilization to the Site. The investigation will use a combination of Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) to identify areas of light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL), Membrane Interface Probe (MIP) to facilitate delineation of dissolved phase impacts, collection of soil samples to verify LIF findings, and installation of monitoring wells for the purposes of on-going groundwater monitoring and to assess for the presence of mobile or migrating LNAPL. In addition, soil vapour probes will be installed on the Site and in buildings within 15 metres of the impacted area to assess whether soil vapour to indoor air is a pathway of concern at the Site. Project funding was secured through a Township-managed crowdfunding initiative. The project’s advanced characterization techniques are not widely practiced in Canada and should provide excellent knowledge value and potential for replication across the country, particularly in remote communities dealing with mobilization and waste disposal challenges. (Project description from original funding application)