Old Water Treatment Plant Phase II Environmental Site Assessment, Designated Substance Survey and Remediation Estimate

The Town of Smiths Falls will complete a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), a Designated Substance Survey, and Remediation Estimates for a 0.5 hectare property located at 25 Old Mill Road. The site was formerly a Water Treatment Plant that was closed in 2010 and is located along the Rideau River, adjacent to the Rideau Canal. Redevelopment of the project will return a decommissioned municipally-owned property located within the heart of the downtown area to productive use. The site was first developed in the mid-1800s as a flour mill and has since been used for a feed mill, a moulding shop, a machine shop, a foundry, and a hydroelectric power generation station. Other potentially contaminating activities identified at the site include above ground petroleum storage tanks, a former underground petroleum storage tank, extensive landfilling with fill of unknown quality, and garage operations. Soil and groundwater samples will be analyzed for potential contaminants of concern identified in the Phase I ESA such as petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC), volatile organic compounds (VOC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), metals, electrical conductivity (EC), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), pH, and chloride. The property includes historic multi-storey limestone and brick buildings, a dam, and water diversion flume. It is hoped that redevelopment of the site will include restoration of the historic buildings and utilization of the hydroelectric potential with a small-scale generating station to provide renewable energy. The Town also intends to include a recreational trail along the north part of the site that will provide a pedestrian connection to downtown Smiths Falls. These characteristics give the property high development potential, generating leverage for the tourism potential of the Town and for the Rideau Canal Heritage Site. In 2012, the Town completed a Smiths Falls Downtown Revitalization and Waterfront Integration Mater Plan, followed by a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) for downtown Smiths Falls in 2013. The CIP subsequently identified the project site as a significant area where the Town could capitalize on private sector redevelopment of prime waterfront sites, despite the presence of brownfields within the area. The Town will leverage their CIP to require potential developers to obtain a Record of Site Condition (RSC) in order to obtain financial incentives for the development. The developer will therefore be required to remediate and/or undertake a risk assessment. (Project description from original funding application)