One-third of contaminated soil removed at North Bay’s airport

As much as 24,000 tonnes of contaminated soil will be removed as part of PFAS remediation project at North Bay's airport.

The City of North Bay says at least one-third of the soil it’s removing as part of the PFAS remediation work near the Jack Garland Airport has been taken away for treatment.

City officials said Wednesday that about 8,000 tonnes of soil contaminated with polyfluoroalkyl substances -- often dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ – has been removed, out of up to 24,000 tonnes it’s planning to remediate.

Crews began work in October and are digging about two metres into the ground.

“I’m very, very excited to say that we are into remediation,” said Karin Pratte, the city’s senior environment and facilities engineer.

Firefighting foam

PFAS are a complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products since the 1950s. PFAS entered the airport property in a foam used for firefighter training from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s.

The firefighting foam seeped into the soil, moving through groundwater into Lee’s Creek. That waterway is connected to Trout Lake, the source of North Bay’s drinking water supply.

“Once the work is complete, then we can actually evaluate how effective that remediation was and then move to further phases, if that is required,” Pratte said.

This would include testing soil samples, she added.

In September, North Bay city council awarded a $7.3 million contract to Clean Harbors Canada Inc. to begin the work, which includes soil removal, along with groundwater and surface water remediation.

“The remediation should have an impact downstream,” Pratte said.

Several environmental groups have sounded the alarm over a lack of transparency and communication about the project.

Brennain Lloyd, project co-ordinator with the environmental advocacy group Northwatch, is pleased to hear work is underway but is still anticipating the final version of a water treatment study that she believes goes hand-in-hand with the PFAS removal remediation.

Best remediation possible

“We want the best remediation possible and we want the best treatment of North Bay’s drinking water possible,” Lloyd said. “Let’s see where the studies are going.”

First detected in 2016 by the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, research suggests that exposure to certain PFAS may be harmful to human health.

However, the level of PFAS detected in North Bay is lower than the previous drinking water screening limits set by Health Canada -- 70 nanograms per litre, equivalent to around 3.5 drops in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Health Canada’s final objective for PFAS in drinking water is 30 nanograms per litre and it supersedes all previous screening values.

“Some European jurisdictions and U.S. state jurisdictions are setting their objectives in the single digits like four or eight,” Lloyd said.

“I don’t think we should be constrained by the Health Canada objective of 30 … We want what is the best level of treatment that can be achieved.”

Soil remediation is expected to be complete in the spring.

Design work for the second phase of the project in 2026 is underway to create a barrier to prevent more PFAS from getting into the environment.

“Almost like a large Britta filter,” Pratte said.

“A filter for the groundwater As it moves through this filter, then it then ends up in Lee’s Creek.

The city and the Department of National Defence have a $20-million agreement in place to address the substance remediation at the airport. The DND will cover $19.4 million for the studies, removal and remediation.

A long-standing drinking water advisory for Lee’s Creek remains in place. There’s also a fish consumption advisory in place for fish from the creek.