Marine Avenue Brownfield Study, Powell River Regional District

The Powell River Regional District will perform phase II testing at a former incinerator and waste transfer site and develop a remediation plan in order to redevelop the site and increase its environmental, social and economic value for the community. The testing will determine the feasibility of using plants to treat the contaminated soils. Covering five electoral areas and the city of Powell River, the District’s economy has traditionally been based in the resource industries. When the city’s pulp and paper mill downsized, they attempted to diversify the economy through tourism, but the area still struggles economically. In the early 1970s, an incinerator was constructed on site and used to incinerate various wastes until the early 1990s, when the city started to use the site as a waste transfer station. The clinker generated from waste incineration (an incombustible residue, fused into an irregular lump) as well as wood and yard waste, and a relatively smaller quantity of building materials and sorted wastes, have been piled on site and up-gradient and adjacent to the site. The brownfield is situated in a highly visible area of town adjacent to a public park and riparian area, and represents a probable threat to both human and environmental health. The feasibility study will review previous site condition information, inspect site for soil permeability and water levels, install three monitoring wells, conduct analysis and compile data, and develop a remediation and closure plan. Through the development of the plan, the Regional District will determine the best future use of the site; identify the most cost effective means of clean-up; determine if the soil is conducive to redevelopment through eco-remediation; identify clean up options and uses that would beautify the community as well as provide research and educational opportunities; and prioritize remediation options that will lead to social equity, provide economic opportunities, and improve the quality of the environment. The remediation plan will take into account the Sustainability Charter for the Regional District, the City of Powell River's Strategic Plan, and City of Powell River's Sustainable Official Community Plan. The city hopes to collaborate with the Restoration of Natural Systems Program at the University of Victoria to use plants to filter and clean the soil through the establishment of a botanical garden on site. They would share results of the feasibility study at public meetings and through the Regional District's website, as well as seeking partnerships with other botanical, horticultural, educational and cultural organizations locally, nationally and internationally. (Project description from original funding application)