Information Sheet Questions & Answers New Edinburgh Park, 193 Stanley Avenue

Transcription

1 Information Sheet Questions & Answers New Edinburgh Park, 193 Stanley Avenue Environmental Risk Management Program Q1 What was the historical use of this site? A1 A portion of New Edinburgh Park was historically used as a waste disposal site known as the New Edinburgh Park Landfill (Keefer to Dufferin Site Ur-23). The former landfill was identified in Phase One of the City of Ottawa s Old Landfill Management Strategy (OLMS) which was submitted to City Council on November 24, The Phase I OLMS study indicated that the former New Edinburgh Park landfill was operational prior to 1938 and was used to dispose of cinder and ash refuse, wood, glass, metal and brick/mortar. As evident in the air photograph from 1928 (see below) portions of the park along the shoreline of the Rideau River were also reclaimed through placements of fill over the last century. A historical railway line was also located along the north perimeter of New Edinburgh Park, in the approximately alignment of the current recreational pathway. The City s first railway engine house was located within the park limits along the east shore of the Rideau River and was operational from the mid-1800s through to the late 1800s or early 1900s. Historical records indicate that at least a portion of the site was established as a City park by Currently, the park extends over a total area of 3.4 hectares and includes a children s playground, field house, soccer field, baseball diamond, fitness park, basketball and tennis courts. New Edinburgh Park circa 1928 Q2 What environmental investigations have been completed at the site? A2 Following identification of the park as a former landfill site, a number of environmental investigations were subsequently completed at the site between 2004 and The initial data gap study was completed in 2004 to determine if there were potential human health risks associated with

2 the former landfill site. The data gap investigation included collection of samples of surface soil, surface water, and groundwater, and evaluation of methane gas. A subsequent Human Health Screening Level Risk Assessment (SLRA) completed in 2009 concluded that there was no human health risk associated with the former landfill to nearby residents that use the park for recreational purposes. The 2009 SLRA also briefly addressed potential ecological risk to the site and adjacent Rideau River and concluded that impacts to ecological receptors were unlikely based on comparison to provincial and federal ecological component values. The SLRA report did recommend that measures be established to prevent deeper soils being brought to the surface if alterations are made to the park such as landscaping or construction. Although the previous studies established there were no risks to park users, the playground improvements will cause disturbance to the existing topsoil/grass and deeper soils at the site. As a result, a soil investigation was completed in the fall of 2016 in order to establish appropriate soil management measures during the construction activities, and to determine if there are any risk management measures that should be incorporated into the park improvements. The results of the soil assessment indicated that the existing playground sand satisfied the applicable Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) site condition standards for residential/parkland land use and could be reused as clean fill on the project. Samples of the underlying fill material and some of the shallow soil samples from the grassed area south of the playground had exceedances of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) and/or petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs). As a result of these findings, the City s Environmental Remediation Unit (ERU) is planning to implement a risk management program in conjunction with the park and playground improvements which will focus on preventing direct contact with the identified soil contamination. Q3 What types of contaminants were found at the site? A3 The environmental investigation completed in support of the playground improvements at New Edinburgh Park identified soils with concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) at levels exceeding the current MOECC standards for parkland use. PAHs are a group of more than 100 chemicals that are generated from the incomplete combustion of fuels, waste or other organic substances. The dominant sources of PAHs in the environment are associated with human activity and they are commonly found in older urban areas, particularly those used for industrial purposes and/or manufacturing. PAHs are contained in asphalt, crude oil, coal, coal tar pitch, creosote, vehicle exhaust and can occur throughout the environment in the air, attached to dust particles, or as solids in soil or sediment. Metals contamination in urban soils can be attributed to a number of sources including building materials, paints, fertilizers, treated timber, aged infrastructure, vehicle emissions or other general commercial/industrial wastes. Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) is a term used to describe a large family of several hundred chemical compounds that originate from crude oil. PHCs are generally divided into groups of petroleum hydrocarbons that act alike in soil or water which are called petroleum hydrocarbon fractions. Exposure to PHCs can occur from many sources and can include breathing air at gasoline stations, use of chemicals or certain pesticides at home or work, working in occupations that use petroleum products, or

3 exposure to soil or groundwater impacted from a spill or leak of petroleum products from sources such as fuel storage tanks or former industrial and commercial sites. The main source of soil impacts at New Edinburgh Park appears to be associated with historical landfilling and railway activities. It is also possible that PHC impacts are a result of heating sources for former buildings at the site (i.e., a spill or leak of fuel oil stored in an aboveground or underground storage tank), however historical records reviewed to date have not confirmed that there were storage tanks present at the site. Q4 Why are these types of contaminants in soil a potential health risk? A4 The contaminants identified in the soil at the site can be harmful to human health under some circumstances. Several PAH and PHC compounds have been classified as known or probable carcinogens to humans. Everyone is exposed to some amounts of PAHs, metals and PHCs through air, soil, household dust, food, drinking water and various consumer/household products. Although contaminated soil has been identified at the site, there must be direct contact with or disturbance of the soil in order for any health risk to occur. The effects of PAHs, metals and PHCs will depend on the extent of exposure (duration and frequency), the amount one is exposed to (relative concentration), the nature of the exposure (via inhalation, ingestion or skin contact) along with general characteristics associated with the person being exposed (age, pre-existing health conditions, etc.). Children are more susceptible to exposure as they tend to play on the ground surface and may consume small amounts of soil due to frequent hand-to-mouth activities. Q5 Does the contamination identified at the park currently pose a human health risk? A5 Although the 2009 SLRA completed for the park concluded that there were no unacceptable health risks to nearby residents that use the park for based on recreational use, the report did recommend that procedures be established to prevent deeper soils from being brought to surface during activities such as construction or landscaping. The reported soil concentrations in the 2016 soil investigation were consistent with the concentrations reported in the 2009 SLRA completed for this site. As such the results presented in this soil investigation report do not change the conclusions and recommendations presented in the risk assessment with respect to park users under the current site conditions. Q6 What is the City s plan to address the contaminants at New Edinburgh Park? A6 In conjunction with the planned park and playground improvements in the spring/summer of 2017, the City will implement a risk management program to isolate the underlying contaminated soils in the vicinity of the playground area and adjacent puddle rink. Although the previous studies established there were no risks to park users, the playground improvements will cause disturbance to the existing topsoil/grass and deeper soils at the site. Replacement of the existing sand surrounding the play structures with engineered wood fibre will involve excavation to an estimated depth of 0.45 m to install the wood fibre and underlying drainage layer.

4 The risk management program has been designed to prevent direct contact with the underlying contaminated soils at the site, using an approach referred to as soil capping. This approach will involve placement of approximately 0.5 m of clean imported material (a combination of granular base and engineered wood fibre for the playground area and soil/grass for the landscaped areas) directly over top of the existing impacted soils. A geotextile fabric will also be placed as a demarcation barrier between the clean soil cap and the underlying pre-existing soils. The addition of the soil cap may result in some minor alterations to the elevations and grading of the project area, however the redevelopment landscape design will ensure smooth transitions with existing features at the park. One of the planned improvements for the project is to level out the area of the current puddle rink so that the ice surface can be more easily maintained during the winter season. Q7 When is the remediation work expected to begin and for how long is the park expected to be closed? A7 - The estimated start date for the playground improvements including the environmental risk management program is early June Access to the playground will be closed for the duration of construction. It is anticipated that the playground should be re-opened to the public by early fall Note that only the children s playground structures and adjacent puddle rink will be closed during the construction project, and access to the remaining areas of the park (i.e., ball diamond, soccer field, tennis courts, etc.) will be maintained via the pathway from Stanley Avenue along the river shoreline. Q8 Will the community be exposed to unacceptable levels of contamination during the remediation project? A8 During the project, the work areas will be surrounded by construction fencing and only authorized personnel will be able to access the site. This will eliminate any direct exposure to the impacted soil during the project. To limit potential exposure from inhalation of dust particulate, the contractor will be required to develop and implement a dust control plan as part of the project. The plan will include steps to prevent fugitive dust emissions at the site and adjacent properties as well as to prevent vehicle tracking of soil onto the surrounding municipal roadways. An environmental consultant retained by the City will be on-site for the duration of the project to ensure that dust mitigation measures and other project specifications are being implemented. Q9 How will the site be monitored to ensure that the risk management measures are successful? A9 An environmental consultant retained by the City will be on-site for the duration of the project to supervise the risk management program. Following completion of the project, the site will be inspected and maintained on a regular basis to ensure the continued integrity of the clean soil cap. Any required repairs will be made forthwith and a record of all inspections, deficiencies and repairs will be maintained by the City.

5 Q10 Is Ottawa Public Health involved in this project? A10 Ottawa Public Health (OPH) was consulted as part of the planning of the remediation project, and has reviewed the soil investigation report and the information provided in this fact sheet. For any concerns or health related questions, community members are welcome to contact OPH at (613) If you have further questions regarding the environmental conditions and/or risk management program that have not been addressed, please contact: Erin Tait Specialist, Environmental Remediation Corporate Real Estate Office, City of Ottawa Phone: (613) ext Kim Millar Program Manager, Environmental Remediation Corporate Real Estate Office, City of Ottawa Phone: (613) ext If you have further questions regarding the planned park redevelopment that have not been addressed, please contact: Paul Landry Senior Project Manager, Parks and Facility Planning Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services, City of Ottawa Phone: (613) ext