Niagara College Greenhouse Nursery 135 Taylor Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Phase I Environmental Site Assessment

Transcription

1 Niagara College Greenhouse Nursery 135 Taylor Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Prepared by: Sunmola Abeeb Environmental Management & Assessment, Niagara College of Applied Arts & Technology Prepared for: Niagara College Greenhouse Nursery Date: October 25, 2012

2 Niagara College of Applied Arts & Technology 135 Taylor Road Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0 October 25, 2012 Mr. Jim Thomson, Manager of Campus Development and Greenhouse Niagara College Greenhouse Nursery Niagara College of Applied Arts & Technology 135 Taylor Road Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0 Dear Mr. Thomson, Re: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Greenhouse Nursery I am pleased to present you the report of the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, Niagara College Greenhouse Nursery. This report was prepared in consistency with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z768 (published 2001, reaffirmed 2006). The report of this Phase I present a professional and independent opinion about potential environmental concerns and conditions at the site, based on a review of historical records, interviews and site investigations of the property, conducted on October 24, I genuinely hope that my report exceeds your level of satisfaction. If you have any questions, concerns or require clarification about the research process, findings or conclusions of this investigation, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you very much for the opportunity to be of service to Niagara College of Applied Arts & Technology through this Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, and I would welcome the opportunity to work with you again in the future. Sincerely, Sunmola Abeeb

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sunmola Abeeb was retained by Niagara College Greenhouse to complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment ( Phase I ESA ) on the Niagara College Greenhouse Nursery located at 135 Taylor Road, Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario, Canada (hereafter referred to as the property ). The property is located at southeast of Glendale Avenue and Taylor Road Intersection very close to Queen Elizabeth Way as shown in Appendix A figure 1. The property is one of the buildings on the college building complex, and is situated at the south of the main building and the culinary institute. At the time of the site reconnaissance, conducted on October 24, 2012, the property has an area of square meter used for greenhouse purposes. The property has been owned by Niagara College since 1998 to support educational programs. The purpose of this Phase I ESA is to identify actual and potential sources of contamination associated with the property arising from documented current and/or historical activities on the property and the neighboring properties. The phase I ESA report for the property is consistent with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Standard Z (Updated April 2003) Summary of findings and conclusion There was a reasonable sign of possible soil contamination at the back of the greenhouse building especially areas along the drainage and the ditch in which the vegetation along shows significant yellow discoloration and the soil appears darker than normal. There was also an accumulation of black grease-like substances around the ditch surface with clear stains on the gravels along the wastewater channels. A walk through the inside of the greenhouse building including the research area shows noticeable stains on the floor of the building especially around the floor drains in each row of the build which might be from the chemicals used in growing the plants. A visit to the chemical storage room and interview conducted with the manager of the greenhouse proved that they use different chemicals activities like growth regulators, fungicide, insecticides (endeavor) and fertilizers in the greenhouse for daily The wastewater discharge from the greenhouse building poses a potential soil and groundwater contamination especially as the waste water from the wastewater storage tank is discharge into the ditches and finally to the pond in front of the campus without any form of treatment.

4 TABLE OF CONTENT Executive Summary 1. Introduction 1 2 Scope of Investigation Site description 3 Records Review Aerial Photographs Title search Property use records Prior Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report Company Use Records Geological Information Environmental Regulatory Information 4 4 Site Reconnaissance 4 5 Interviews 4 6 Review of findings Review of Aerial Photographs Review of Title search Review of Prior Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report Review of Company use Records Review of Geological Information Review of Site Reconnaissance Review of Site Interview 7 7 Evaluation of findings 9 8 Conclusions and Recommendation 10 9 Qualification of the Assessor Appendices

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6 1 INTRODUCTION Sunmola Abeeb was retained by Niagara College Greenhouse to complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment ( Phase I ESA ) on the Niagara College Greenhouse Nursery located at 135 Taylor Road, Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario, Canada. The property is located at southeast of Glendale Avenue and Taylor Road Intersection very close to Queen Elizabeth Way. A Phase I ESA is a preliminary assessment of the environmental condition of a property, based on the review of historical information and current activities on the site. The purpose of this Phase I is to identify actual and potential sources of contamination associated with the property arising from documented current and/or historical activities on the property and neighboring properties. A site reconnaissance of the property was carried out on October 24, The observations made during the site recon, information gathered from the interview with the property manager and findings of historical review and regulatory information are summarized in this report. Photographs taken during the site recon are provided in Appendix B. Sections 3 to 5 provide the description of the methodologies used. Section 6 and 7 outlines Review and Evaluations of the findings. Conclusions concerning the environmental condition of the site are presented in section 8. 6

7 2 Scope of Investigation The phase I ESA report for the property was completed in accordance with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Standard Z (April 2003) and included a review of available current and historical information on the site, a site walkover, interviews, evaluation of readily available information, and reporting. 2.1 Site Description The property is located at the southeast of Glendale Avenue and Taylor Road Intersection very close to Queen Elizabeth Way. On November 8, 1993, the property was vested to Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology from the Corporation of the Township of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The registration number of this transaction is RO The review of the aerial photographs dated 1934, 1954 and 1978 showed that the property was used for agricultural purpose, which was confirmed by the person interviewed. The greenhouse nursery has an area of approximately 2403 square meter and the building was opened in The property consists of the office building for classroom and administrative purposes and three greenhouse facilities for educational and commercial purposes. The topography of the property is sloped from the northeast corner of the building. The exterior of the building is mainly covered with grasses. The property is the southernmost structure in the Niagara College Complex. It has the culinary institute building to its north, the winery teaching building to its west, an occupied piece of land covered with grasses to its east and the Niagara escarpment to its south. 7

8 3. Record Review For the purpose of this Phase I ESA, current and historical information for the property was only obtained as minimum requirement for CSA Z Aerial Photography Historical aerial photographs for year 1934, 2000 and 2006 were obtained from Niagara Navigator website, while aerial photographs for year 1954 and 1978 were obtained at the map and aerial photographs collection of Niagara College. Also for the purpose of this assessment, Google earth images dated 2009 and 2012 were made use of. 3.2 Title Search A title search showing information in respect to land transfer and ownership of the property from December 22, 1953 to March 23, 2005 was obtained from the Land Registry Office in St Catharines. 3.3 Property use records The property-use directories pertaining to the previous and present use of the property could not be obtained before the compilation of this report 3.4 Prior Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Reports A search for prior Phase I Environmental Site Assessment on the property was made, and a report done by Ms Nichole Bonner on October 26, 2010 was obtained. Some of the information in this report was made use of in compilation of this report. 3.5 Company Records Company records such as inventories of chemicals and usage, spill reporting plan, emergency response plan, accident reporting records and material safety data sheets were asked for and shown by the property manager. These records were reviewed to ascertain if there had been activities that could negatively impact the environment from the property. 8

9 3.6 Geological Information The soil type concentrated in the property is mainly Lacustrine Heavy Clay, characterized by imperfect drainage and high water retention. This information was obtained by reviewing a geological map titled Soils of St Catharines and Niagara-onthe-lake (1981). Other geological and geotechnical information such as groundwater flow, subsurface soils, type of bedrock, depth to bedrock etc. were not solicited for due to this scope of this project. 3.7 Environmental Regulatory Information Environmental regulatory information from Ministry of Environment, Regional Municipality of Niagara, Ministry of Natural Resources, Technical Standards and Safety Authority and EcoLog ERIS report were not reviewed due to time constraint and cost accrued to getting these information. 4. Site Reconnaissance The site recon was conducted on October 24, The duration of the site recon was approximately 2 hours. At the time of the site recon, the weather condition was cloudy and humid with the temperature at approximately 12 0C. The site recon included a walkaround the exterior and interior of the property as well visit to the barn where the chemicals are stored in order to inspect the environmental conditions of the property, and confirm information obtained from the records review. 5. Interview Interview was conducted with the Manager of the Greenhouse Mr. Jim Thomson who has a good knowledge of the property at two separate times, firstly, to augment the information gathered during the records review, and secondly to corroborate information gathered after the site recon. Relevant information gathered from the 2 interviews was considerably made used of in writing this report. 9

10 6. Review of findings 6.1 Review of Aerial Photographs Historical aerial photographs for year 1934, 2000 and 2006 were obtained from Niagara Navigator website, while aerial photographs for year 1954 and 1978 were obtained at the map and aerial photographs collection of Niagara College library. Also for the purpose of this assessment, Google earth images dated 2009 and 2012 were made use of. Copies of these photos are provided in Appendix A. The land use of the property and surrounding properties appeared consistent throughout the aerial photographs prior to building of the greenhouse. The 1934 aerial photograph show that where the property is now located was a farmland with structures likely to be farmhouse and barns strategically located, this correspond to the assertion of Mr. Thomson that the land where the property is situated was previously used for mixed farming. However, the aerial photographs of year 2000, 2006 and 2009 show the presence of the property alongside other structures in the Niagara College complex. Other observable landscapes from all the aerial photographs reviewed are the Niagara Escarpment and the Queen Elizabeth Way. 6.2 Review of Title Search A title search showing information in respect to land transfer and ownership of the property from December 22, 1953 to March 23, 2005 was obtained from the Land Registry Office in St Catharines as shown in Appendix C. Owing to time constraint associated with this project, title search for earlier history of the property could not be obtained. However, from the available title search, it was gathered that the ownership of the land was transferred to The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario in In 1964, an agreement was signed which gave the ownership of the land to The Corporation of the township of Niagara. By-law amendment made the ownership of the land belonged to The Regional Municipality of Niagara in 1969 before the ownership of the property was transferred to Niagara College in November 8, From the title search, the only significant previous activities of environmental concerns are that of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. 6.3 Review of Prior Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Reports Some of the information from Ms. Nichole Jenner ESA phase I report conducted on October 26, 2010 was used. As information from the site assessment was generated 10

11 using procedures that meet the requirements of the CSA Z768 standard and there hasn t been significant change in the conditions of the property since the Phase I ESA was conducted. 6.4 Review of Company Use Records Company records such as inventories of chemicals and usage, spill reporting plan, emergency response plan, accident reporting records and material safety data sheets were requested for. These records were reviewed to ascertain if there had been activities that could negatively impact the environment from the property. Mr. Thomson confirmed the use of chemicals such as growth hormone (Cycocel), Fungicide (Senator) and biological (Beneficial insects). He explained the use of these environmental friendly beneficial insects as an alternative to the traditional insecticides but that there is occasional use of Insecticides Such as Endeavor and Intercept. He confirmed the toxicity and hazardous nature of these chemicals and that they can be source of potential soil or underground water contamination. There is presence of Material Safety Data Sheets for all the chemicals. He said the applications of the pesticides are only done by licensed technicians and the activity is highly regulated using production recommendations for Greenhouse floriculture by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, food and rural affairs. He confirmed that there has never been a case of spillage or contamination of the natural environment through the use of any of the chemicals. 6.5 Review of Geological information The soil type concentrated in the property is mainly Lacustrine Heavy Clay, characterized by imperfect drainage and high water retention. This information was obtained by reviewing a geological map titled Soils of St Catharines and Niagara-onthe-lake (1981).Haldimand Soils (HIM) are slowly permeable and have medium to high water-holding capacities. In relation to potential contamination, the heavy clay characteristic of this soil type make it less permeable, and therefore, better able to retain liquids, than more sandy textures. In other words, the potential for soil contamination may be reduced due to the water-holding capacities of this soil. 6.6 Review of Site Reconnaissance The site recon was conducted on October 24, 2012 for duration of approximately 2 hours. At the time of the site recon, the weather condition was cloudy and humid, and the temperature at approximately 12 0C. The site recon included a walk-around the exterior and interior of the property as well as the barn where the chemicals, fertilizers 11

12 and fuel used for the activities in the greenhouse are stored. The following observations are made from the site recon as shown in the photos in Appendix B; There was a reasonable sign of possible soil contamination at the back of the greenhouse building especially areas along the drainage and the ditch in which the vegetation along the ditch shows significant yellow discoloration and the soil appears darker than normal. There was also an accumulation of black grease-like substances along the ditch surface with clear stains on the gravels along the wastewater channels A walk through the inside of the greenhouse building including the research area shows noticeable stains on the floor of the building especially around the floor drains in each row of the build which might be from the chemicals used in growing the plants. A visit to the chemical storage room and interview conducted with the manager of the greenhouse proved that they use different chemicals in the greenhouse daily activities like growth regulators, fungicide, insecticides (endeavor) and fertilizers The wastewater discharge from the greenhouse building poses a potential soil and groundwater contamination especially as the waste water from the wastewater storage tank is discharge into the ditches and finally to the pond in front of the campus without any form of treatment of the wastewater There is presence of thermometer guage in the boiler room that is like to contain mercury 6.7 Review of Site Interview The interview with the property manager outlines the fact that most of the chemicals used for the greenhouse activities are hazardous to human health and the environment. It was explained that these activities are highly regulated and are only carried out by competent technicians that have license to do so. But a Potential Contaminating Activity (PCA) was noticed from collection of wastewater generated from the application of the pesticides into the floor drains. This wastewater contains residues of Insecticide, Fungicide, growth regulators and herbicides. The wastewater from the floor drains at the greenhouse facility is channeled into a drainage pipe at the southeast of the facility; this drainage pipe is connected to an underground tank where the wastewater is empty into. The wastewater is pumped into the ditch from the underground tank without been treated due to the financial constraint. The table below outlines the observations and findings from Site Reconnaissance and Site Interview 12

13 TOPIC Area of the Site Number and Age of the building on the site Number of floors Number, age and depth of levels below ground Number and details of all above ground storage tanks Number and details of all below ground storage tanks Potable and Non-potable water Utility lines OBSERVATION sq meters 14 years COMMENT Site Representative Site Representative One N/A N/A One (since 1998) Site Representative Potable water (City supplied) Present (buried underground) Entry and exit points for 2 main entry and exit points with 3 entry points and 6 the building exit points in the greenhouse facility Existing and former Source from the boiler located at the southeast of heating system (source) the office building. No former Drains from the Drain, pits and sumps greenhouse eavestrough goes into the ditch through pipes while wastewater goes into underground storage tank N/A Unidentified Substances Stain or corrosions located Yes near a potential discharge location Location of any current or N/A former wells Grass Ground cover Presence of stained soil, Yes vegetation or pavement Presence of stressed Yes vegetation Presence of fill and/or Yes 13 Site Representative Site Representative Site Representative

14 debris materials Potentially Contaminating Activity Use of hazardous materials Report of Environmental contamination Current or former railway lines Yes Yes Site Representative No Site Representative No 7. Evaluation of Findings Based on information provided through interviews with the site representative, findings of the site reconnaissance, and results of the historical records review for the Niagara College Greenhouse Nursery, the following observations regarding the property and surrounding areas are believed to present potential environmental concerns: The application of fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators and other hazardous chemicals in greenhouse operations could facilitate the emission of these substances into wastewater resources. The appearance of stains on the concrete floor of the greenhouse facility indicates likely leakage of fertilizers into wastewater system. Presence of vegetation and soil with discoloration indicates likely contamination from the activities of the greenhouse. Accumulation of black grease-like substances along the ditch surface with clear stains on the gravels along the wastewater channels also indicates likely contamination. A review of historical aerial photographs provides evidence of potential long term contamination from agricultural activities on the site. 8. Conclusion and Recommendation Findings from site reconnaissance and interview indicate evidence of potential environmental contaminations from past and present activities of the property. It is therefore, recommended that Environmental Site Assessment Phase II consistent with Canadian Standard Association Z679 is conducted to verify the environmental condition of the property. 14

15 9. Qualifications of Assessor Mr. Sunmola Abeeb This Phase I Environmental Site Assessment was conducted and written by Mr. Sunmola Abeeb, he holds a Higher National Diploma in Science Laboratory Technology from Yaba College of Technology Lagos Nigeria and a post-graduate certificate in Environmental Management & Assessment from Niagara College. He has a valuable work experience in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment from Nestle Nigeria Plc, a multinational company. His areas of expertise include Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Assessments, Environmental Site Assessments and Occupational Health and Safety. APPENDIX A - MAPS 15

16 Figure1 - Map showing Niagara College Campus Figure Air photo of the site 16

17 Figure Air photo of the site Figure Air Photo of the site 17

18 Figure 5 - Google Earth Image 2012 Figure 6 - Geological Map of the site 18

19 Appendix B Photographs from the site Photo 1 Picture showing discoloration of vegetation along the drainage Photo 2 The picture of the wastewater pipe from greenhouse facility to underground tank 19

20 Photo 3 Black grease-like substance found along the ditch Photo 4 The drainage cover of the wastewater 20

21 Photo 5 Floor drain in the greenhouse facility 21

22 Photo 6 Picture showing stain of one of the chemicals used in greenhouse on the floor Photo 7 Showing the thermometer guage Photo 8 Stain on the floor of the greenhouse facility 22

23 Photo 9 Hazard Awareness Centre containing MSDS 23

24 Appendix C Title Search document 24