Phase II Environmental Site Assessment - 5001-52 St., Mayerthorpe, Alberta

The Town of Mayerthorpe will complete a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) on a 0.129 hectare site that was formerly a mechanic shop with gas station, and is currently zoned as commercial land. The site is in the center of town, in a prime residential and commercial area fronting onto Highway 22, which is also known as The Cowboy Trail tourism corridor. From 2001-2006, the Town used the site as a recycling transfer depot station, and previous to it being a mechanic shop, both ESSO and British America had underground storage tanks on the property. Consultants estimate that the quantity of soil on site potentially requiring remediation would be approximately 10,000 cubic meters. If contamination is found, the Town of Mayerthorpe plans to remediate the site so that it meets the highest standards of the Alberta Tier 1 Guidelines. Redevelopment options include sealing and capping the site and establishing a parking lot, multi-unit housing, commercial development, solar panel power generation site, or a tourism destination point. If only a portion of the site is contaminated, the Town would consider separating the title into multiple lots and selling the uncontaminated portions as residential land. Environmental benefits of remediation or risk management would include the removal or containment of contaminants, enhancing air quality by removing airborne odors, and improving groundwater quality. Initially, sampling will focus on the portion of the site which housed underground storage tanks, where the consultants will collect soil samples from boreholes and test results in a laboratory where they will be analyzed for hydrocarbons, metals, and salinity. Two of the boreholes will be finished as monitoring wells in case groundwater sampling is warranted. Consultants will also conduct an electromagnetic survey, which uses electric currents to delineate conductive materials in the subsurface which vary based on material and fluid properties. If the soil is contaminated, consultant will determine the extent of the contamination both vertically and horizontally through an “as needed” delineation stage. The feasibility study is in line with the Town’s 2016 Strategic Directives Plan, the Brownfield Redevelopment Grant Policy, and the Town of Mayerthorpe Community Sustainability Plan. It also complements the Town’s Master Drainage Plan by ultimately reducing contamination to the Little Paddle River which runs through the center of Town. (Project description from original funding application)