Town of Laurentian Hills Innovation Park Development (Environmental Assessment)

The Town of Laurentian Hills will undertake a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of its 25-acre property known as Chalk River Innovation Park, located just outside the gates of Chalk River Labs on Highway 17. The federal government is in the process of privatizing the management of Chalk River Labs, which is expected to lead to an increase in demand for development-ready properties. As outlined in the Town’s Official Plan, in order to avoid greenfield development, the Town of Laurentian Hills wishes to initiate the decommissioning and remediation of the site in preparation for its redevelopment for business purposes. The property was previously used as a Canadian Pacific Rail terminal. A Phase 1 ESA was performed in 2014, which resulted in the identification of six Areas of Potential Environmental Concern (APECS) on the study property, and two APECS in the study area, where the town found possible petroleum and metal contamination in the soil and groundwater, as well as waste materials such as former rail lines, rail beds and buried materials. The Town plans to assess the magnitude of contamination and determine what actions need to be taken if development of the innovation park is to move forward. Between 20 and 25 test pits will be established across the site and one soil sample from each will be collected and analyzed for the presence of petroleum hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from petroleum products, metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Eight monitoring wells will be constructed and groundwater samples will be collected and analyzed for similar parameters. Continuous soil samples will also be collected and screened on-site for volatile compounds. Solutions to deal with contaminants will be determined once the extent of the situation becomes known. The town has found an innovative way to perform the ESA in that they are planning to involve students from Algonquin College's Environmental Technician Program to provide the town with expertise in brownfield remediation. The town is also looking at innovative partnership opportunities with the successful bidder for the management of Chalk River Labs. Once completed, the eventual redevelopment of the site should attract new residents, specifically young residents. This will in turn increase the vibrancy of the community and result in additional services and amenities coming to the community. (Project description from original funding application)