Ladysmith Waterfront Brownfield Study

Working closely with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and the Chemainus First Nation, the Town of Ladysmith will supervise a detailed site investigation and overview level geotechnical assessment of the 24 acres of town-owned land (the “Uplands”) and 68 acres of provincial Crown land that make up the Ladysmith waterfront. The Province will assume financial responsibility for costs associated with the Crown land. The completed Stage 1 Preliminary Site Investigation has identified the presence of coal-related wastes and other contaminants from past uses such as a former rail yard, the off-loading of logs into the harbor, and dumping of waste coal to form an area known as Slack Point. The contaminants, including metals; sulphur; petroleum hydrocarbons; chlorinated phenols; volatile organic compounds (VOC's); and wood waste pose a barrier for site re-use, and are a source of long term soil, sediment and groundwater pollution. The immediate goal of the study is to identify and fill in data gaps with respect to soil, water, and sediment quality to allow the town to refine the projected costs of clean up of the former industrial sites and to develop options for moving forward. Environmental clean-up of the area is critical to the success of the town’s longer-term objective to redevelop the site as a sustainable mixed-use village with natural, recreational, marine, traditional industrial, and waterfront service areas.

(Project description from original funding application)