Waterfront Toronto Port Lands Pilot Soil Recycling Facility
Type of initiative
FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector
Brownfield
Project value$1,830,500
Project Type
Pilot Project
Sub Sector
Remediation and risk management initiatives
Grant amount$350,000
Program type
GMF
Municipality
City of Toronto, ON
Status
Fully Disbursed
Population
2,794,356
Project timeline
2010 - 2011
Project number
11005
Description
In accordance with the City of Toronto’s Sustainability Framework policy to avoid “digging and dumping” contaminated soil, Waterfront Toronto is undertaking a field scale pilot test to evaluate the technical and financial performance of technologies that if successful, will provide more sustainable treatment options. Waterfront Toronto is a partnership of the City of Toronto, the Province of Ontario, and the Government of Canada. Its mandate is to revitalize Toronto’s waterfront area. Soils within the city’s Designated Waterfront Area (DWA) carry a contamination legacy from 150 years of industrialization. Remediation is a priority for sustainable revitalization of the area totaling over 400 hectares. The city anticipates the need to manage up to approximately 2,000,000 cubic metres of contaminated soils over the next 10 - 20 years for waterfront revitalization.
This initiative will use soil from three precincts within the DWA— the West Don Lands, the East Bayfront and the Port Lands — and will involve a field test and a feasibility study. The field test includes the design, installation, operation and evaluation of two mobile soil washing treatment plants using stormwater to reduce water intake from Lake Ontario or the city water supply. A total of 20,000 cubic metres of contaminated soil from all three precincts will be processed, and treated soils will be used for a number of purposes including backfill, raising grades and lake filling. Soils containing hazardous waste will not be accepted for treatment and will be transferred to a MOE-licensed hazardous waste landfill facility. The field test will also result in a comprehensive evaluation report on the findings. The feasibility study phase will entail a further evaluation of the technical and financial performance of soil treatment technologies, as well as environmental and social benefits, to build a business case for a full-scale soil recycling facility. Waterfront Toronto estimates that the project will take approximately two years to complete.
In preparation for this project, Waterfront Toronto has held public meetings, stakeholder committees and public board meetings; has consulted with the MOE and the City of Toronto, and will continue to do so throughout the project’s lifespan.
(Project description from original funding application)
Applicant
Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation, ON