NEWS EDITORIAL

March 7, 2008

Dear residents,

The community of Stittsville-Kanata West should soon see a reduction in odour as a result of recent changes in the operations of the Carp Road landfill.

An agreement has been reached between a group of resident appellants, Waste Management (WM) and the Environmental Review Tribunal, following an appeal made under the Environmental Bill of Rights with respect to Amended Certificates of Approval for the operation of a landfill, landfill gas-to-energy facility, and soil bioremediation processes located at 2301 Carp Road.

This agreement, which was released on the 22nd of February, sets out operational conditions that the Owner of the site must follow, and includes monitoring programs, remedial actions if odours are detected, a closure plan, and the creation of a Community Liaison Committee.

This agreement paves the way for future operating conditions that WM will follow to deal with landfill gases. This will include the completion of 18 new gas wells and the redrilling of an additional 21 wells to improve gas collection. Initially, the destruction of gas occurred by flaring through two existing flares.

These gases will be used in the future gas-to-energy plant, which will supply electrical power to the hydro grid for many years to come.

These measures provide a better solution to the destruction of landfill gases, which are part of the natural decaying process – this process continues in landfill sites for many years, even after it is capped.

The Ministry of the Environment has also directed that air pockets and the old operation road leading up the north face of the landfill, which is presently enclosed by an interim cover, not be reopened for further waste land filling.

These areas will be filled with inert bioremediation soils, which effectively remove 40,000 cubic meters of waste fill space from the landfill.

This area, once re-profiled, will receive a final cover as part of a process that will eventually lead to the closing of this portion of the landfill operation. This means there is likely to be a reduction in the amount of residential waste the City of Ottawa directs to the facility from the current levels of 35,000 tonnes to 20,000 tonnes.

This reduction will put increased pressure on existing facilities; however, with new technologies, and a more aggressive waste management recycling program that will include Organic waste in 2009, it should mitigate the impact.

WM will, through it's website at www.wastemanagementottawa.ca, provide interested parties information on the air quality surveys, as well as periodic updates on construction activities at the site.

As a community we have worked towards a resolution for the odour issue affecting our residents. I encourage all residents to remain active and voice your concerns to my office.

Sincerely,
Councillor Shad Qadri

 [ Back to News Archives ]