Stage 2 Preliminary Site Investigation at the Historic Sawmill Complex

Valemount Community Forest Company Limited (VCFCL), a corporation entirely owned by the Village of Valemount, intends to conduct a Stage 2 Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI) at a former sawmill because there is interest from a third party to build a geothermal power plant on the site. This sawmill was the main economic driver in the Valemount area until it was shut down due to economic reasons in 2005 and disassembled in 2010, which left 160 full-time employees out of work. The decline in local employment has never been mitigated to date, which has had an extremely negative effect on the community. VCFCL purchased lands previously sustained by sawmilling operations to assist the Valemount area towards economic diversification. The purpose of the Stage 2 PSI is to assess the presence or absence of potential contaminants of concern at the areas of potential environmental concern (APECs) identified at the Site and to identify a remedial action plan, if necessary. Soil conditions encountered during drilling will be logged in detail with respect to soil composition, colour, density, moisture content, and apparent hydrocarbon impact. Borehole logs will be completed to provide stratigraphy and lithology information, as well as groundwater monitoring well installation details (if any) for each subsurface investigation location. All samples will be collected, preserved (as required), stored in an ice-chilled cooler, and shipped under Chain-of-Custody protocol to an approved laboratory. Electronic Database Deliverables provided by the laboratory and electronic post-field forms (i.e. field sample key, field observation form) from field personnel will be used to update a project-specific database established using EQuISTM. The final Stage 2 PSI report will describe the investigation methodology, investigation results, interpretation of soil conditions, provide a summary of soil and groundwater conditions, contaminants discovered, and identify recommendations for further work, if warranted. With this assessment, VCFCL aims to achieve a greater understanding of environmental reclamation needed to bring back the site into productive use. There are multiple registered water wells located within 500 m of the Site; if the sawmill site is contaminated, the Stage 2 PSI will help to reduce or remove any human health risks. (Project description from original funding application)