Yard is on top of a recharge area of Gibsons aquifer; Ministry of Environment says the asphalt was there temporarily
(By News Desk)
The Ministry of Environment has acknowledged that during an inspection in July there were asphalt grindings everywhere at the works yard of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (MOTI) in Gibsons, but considers that MOTI “more or less” complied with the Environmental Management Act.
The MOTI yard on Gilmour Road is on top of a recharge area of the Gibsons aquifer. The Coast Clarion reported in June that the yard contained asphalt grindings, tar puddles and a bubbling puddle with a chemical film.
After the story was published, the Ministry of Environment conducted an inspection on July 8. The report says that asphalt grindings and pieces were observed throughout on the site.
Michael Braun, Area Operations Manager with MOTI, told inspector Kyle Lynch that asphalt grindings from a local road works project had been stored at the site temporarily since July 2020 but that MOTI had removed the bulk of the material.
The Environmental Management Act regulates the disposal of hazardous waste, including asphalt from road construction. Because the asphalt grindings were temporarily stored, Lynch concluded they did not meet the definition of hazardous waste in the Act. However, he did say that “compliance with the requirements of this section could not be determined for the inspection period.”
The inspection report makes no mention of the tar puddles or the bubbling pond with a chemical film which were photographed by The Coast Clarion in June. The tar puddles have been excavated, the soil now looks clean.
The area with the pond has been covered with fresh piles of dirt and organic material.
A number of smaller piles of asphalt grindings remain on the site.
The situation in June:
Thank you for reporting on this.
The inspection report makes no mention of the burial of waste asphalt grindings on the ‘lower site’ (approx. .5 – 1 acre in size) I photographed last fall and this past spring; nor did it mention the grindings that are spread over large areas in the upper yard, nor the shoving of the grindings into a gully. These incidences are not ‘stockpiles for future use’ but are incidences of disposal.
– michael maser
So let me get this straight. . . one ministry investigating another ministry’s misgivings? So they class it as hazardous waste but it’s temporary, so it’s not hazardous? The burying and hiding of this sort is rampant on the Coast. Now we are being led to understand that the dumping at Earle Creek is OK? These dump sites generate huge financial gains for the property owners. In the case of the MOTI yard it is blatant disregard for anything resembling respect for the land with contractors who get carte blanche when servicing government.
I find the part in your article which quotes the MOE as saying “… that MOTI “more or less” complied with the Environmental Management Act ” very interesting. Like when I get a speeding ticket I can now say to the policeman, “Yes officer but I was more or less within the speed limit”
Or the doctor can now tell his female patient ” You are more or less pregnant”
Or to my confessional priest, “I more or less followed the commandments when I committed adultery”
Either the rules are followed in a way that is more than required or they are followed in a way that is less than required. To the Ministry of Environment we ask that you please skip the spin and do your job of protecting the environment instead of conjuring up phrases to allow a sister ministry to damage it.