Cleanup well underway on illegal PCB dump site in Quebec
Dan Ilika
Soil characterization, rehabilitation work starting next week on former Reliance Power Equipment site
POINTE-CLAIRE, Que.—The mayor of a Montreal suburb said cleanup is well underway on a site that was illegally storing toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in his city.
Point-Claire, Que., mayor Morris Trudeau said TechnoRem Inc. will start soil characterization and rehabilitation next week on the former Reliance Power Equipment Ltd. site.
Sanexen Environmental Services Inc. carried out disposal work on the site over the winter, including the removal of 600 tonnes of potentially contaminated soil.
Toxic materials had been present there for years, but were only detected in March after a spill of about 1,000 litres on the property.
Reliance had been given until Sept. 12, 2013, to provide the province with an action plan to secure the site and remove the PCBs.
Quebec since stepped in the manage cleanup of the site, and also launched an inspection program of 1,300 known PCB storage sites around the province.
Environment Minister Yves-Francois Blanchet estimated the cost of getting rid of the PCBs at the Pointe-Claire site could be as much as $3.5-million, and said Reliance will be asked to reimburse all the costs.
—With files from The Canadian Press
