City hall is inspecting 10 former landfill sites on city property during August, and it plans to develop an action plan to deal with any problems at these sites.
In the past, it was common practice for municipalities to build parks and other developments on top of former landfill sites, said a city news release.
This summer, the city learned that erosion along the river banks had exposed some historic landfill waste along the banks of the Eramosa River in York Road Park. The city immediately removed the visible waste, including glass bottles, ceramic dishes and pieces of metal, and is working to prevent further erosion along the river, the release said.
During August, the city plans to document any visible impacts on soil and water at all 10 historic landfill sites on city property and to develop an action plan to address any areas of concern. The draft action plan is to be completed and submitted to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment by the end of September, so the city can implement the plan as quickly as possible.
“We’ll build on work done in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the city measured methane gas levels and potential impacts on soil and water quality,” environmental engineer Colin Baker said in the release.