Environmental investigations of former Shell and Imperial Oil sites in Williams Lake have revealed that subsurface soil and groundwater could be contaminated on nearby residential properties.
Last month owners of properties on Pinchbeck Street located near the former bulk plant sites at 548 and 580 Mackenzie Ave. received a registered joint-letter from Imperial Oil and Shell Canada with results from tests conducted by SNC-Lavalin.
“Contamination may have migrated in groundwater (in the subsurface approximately 29 metres to 39 metres below grade) below your property,” the letter informed residents, adding the information was a follow-up to the letter residents received in August 2004, notifying them of possible Shell and or Imperial-sourced contamination on their property.
Mayor Walt Cobb said he couldn’t find anything that would be detrimental to the aquifer as he read through all the materials given to property owners by the two companies.
“My concern is that they didn’t let the city know in advance that they were sending out the notifications,” Cobb said.
Carrie Barker has lived at 629 Pinchbeck St. since 1959 and said when she received the letter she was immediately worried about the value of her home.
“My first step was to find out if my place was going to be worthless or not because it means when I go my kids have got nothing. I went in to have it reassessed and received an answer telling me they didn’t think it would affect me.”
Barker was told she will receive a more definitive answer from BC Assessment after its panel reviews applications for reassessment in March.
Her letter also said the results of the investigation indicate there are no environmental or health risks associated with the contamination below her property, yet it spells out specific risk controls.
“It said future buildings on the site must be slab on-grade, or constructed with a basement to a maximum depth of three metres below grade,” Barker read from the letter. “I have a basement suite right now.”
The letter also advised that groundwater must not be used as a drinking water source.
Because all of the properties are connected to the city’s drinking water, the companies stated they did not think it would be a concern.
“I’ve watched them come and do drilling in the summer and winter for several years,” she said. “They said they were checking the water table.”
Obviously the information received by the residents is alarming, said Williams Lake city planner Chris Hutton.
“But it is good news the companies are cleaning up the sites,” he added.
“The province has a polluter pays program and the fact Imperial and Shell have hired SNC Lavalin to carry out these works means it’s not being done on the taxpayer’s back.”
Typically cleanups happen in the context of development, however, there is no indication of any development proposed for either sites, Hutton said.
In their letter, Imperial Oil and Shell told residents they plan to make Environmental Certificate of Compliance Applications on behalf of the property owners to the Ministry of Environment.
This week the ministry confirmed those applications have not been submitted to date.
“The applicants and their approved professionals [SNC-Lavelin] have likely provided drafts to residents for comments as part of their obligation to consult prior to submitting final documents to the ministry,” a ministry spokesperson said.
SNC Lavalin and Imperial Oil did not return the Tribune’s calls by press time, however, Shell made contact. See next week’s paper for more.
Note: In the original story Imperial Metals was named twice instead of Imperial Oil, the Tribune apologizes for the error.