Investigating contamination at Whitehorse’s McIntyre Creek Pumphouse

The City of Whitehorse will conduct an updated Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA II) at the municipally owned McIntyre Creek Pumphouse site. The 13,250m2 property has been the site of several known diesel-fuel spills, and a recent (2016) limited ESA II indicated hydrocarbon contamination 25 metres from the creek. The objectives of the project are to confirm or refute the presence of soil and groundwater contamination on the site; if contamination is present, delineate the vertical and horizontal extent of the contamination; identify whether contamination is migrating beyond the property boundary from the site; and develop a restoration plan. The area being assessed is located primarily within the boundaries of the existing pumphouse. Once remediated, the area will continue to serve utility purposes. Restoring this site is important to aquatic life, recreational use and protection of the local and regional hydrology. As part of the City’s drinking water distribution system, preventing further spread of contaminants on-site is important to all citizens of Whitehorse. The final ESA II report will follow the requirements of British Columbia’s Contaminated Site Regulations Protocol 13, which is the general practice in the Yukon Territory. Innovative aspect(s): • This project takes a proactive approach to brownfield remediation for the region • There is potential for Whitehorse to consider innovative and sustainable approaches to remediation Replicability: • The project management and assessment concepts used in this project can be applied to similar projects in Whitehorse and by other municipalities • As fuel spills of the type that occurred at this site are common throughout Canada, different aspects of this project could be applied to a wide range of Canadian municipalities (Project description from original funding application)