NDP gives extension for closing soil dump
VICTORIA The B.C. government has backed off its deadline to close a contaminated soil dump at Shawnigan Lake this month, instead relenting to pressure from the owner and granting a 10-month reprieve to one of the most politically sensitive projects in the province.
Environment Minister George Heyman agreed to property owner Cobble Hill Holdings’ request to push back an Oct. 31 closure deadline until Aug. 31, 2020.
“It is infuriating,” said Cowichan Valley Green MLA Sonia Furstenau, who has been a leading opponent of the landfill. “Once again, we’re in endless rounds of the company not meeting the requirements and conditions that government sets out … and the consequence is that they just get to carry on and get further extensions.”
The additional 10 months will give the company time to bring in extra fill soil to cap the site, a contentious measure opposed by local residents who had wanted to see the original toxic soil removed, not buried under more soil.
Cobble Hill Holdings will make money by importing the fill. Its new plan indicates it will generate that money upfront by importing it and stockpiling the fill-in locations around the site, before it completes the majority of remediation work.
“All reasonable efforts will be made to complete the closure works in a timely manner. However, the quality of work shall not be jeopardized by attempting construction during inclement weather,” the company said in a recent letter to the government.
Heyman attached the condition that Cobble Hill Holdings must conduct “a comprehensive pre-winter inspection of the landfill” to check and fix any threat of leaks. It must also drill two new shallow monitoring wells within 30 days.
His ministry said in a statement that the extension was “based on careful consideration of environmental risks” and that “staff will continue to monitor work being done, and intervene as necessary.”
Heyman said Monday that the government had taken so long doing its “due diligence” in approving the first closure plan that it had not left Cobble Hill Holdings enough time to complete the plan without an extension.