Thursday, December 9, 2021
Work to improve the Golden Landfill continues to move ahead following the Ministry of Environment's approval of the updated Operational Certificate for the site earlier this year.
The Ministry's approval now requires the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) to submit a water quality improvement plan that addresses how the CSRD will reduce offsite contaminates and ensure drinking water sources for the Town of Golden are protected.
Based on recommendations from Ecoscape, the CSRD's environmental consulting firm, a site has been selected for the drilling of a monitoring well to provide early notifications of any changes to groundwater composition.
"This will provide information that would allow for early detection of any changes long before there would be any impacts to the Town of Golden's drinking water supply," says Ben Van Nostrand, the CSRD's Team Leader of Environmental Services.
Van Nostrand reviewed the progress at the Golden Landfill with Town of Golden Council at their regularly scheduled council meeting on Tuesday, December 7, 2021.
The CSRD has also been working to manage other challenges with the landfill site including surface water, litter control and wildlife mitigation measures.
In 2021, the CSRD invested $130,000 towards improving drainage on the site with the development of a series of rock-lined trenches. This was completed using local contractors.
"The site improvements completed in 2021 are designed to keep surface water on the landfill property," says Van Nostrand, who also notes electric fencing to control wildlife has been raised from a five-foot high fence to eight feet in height and will remain electrified year-round.
The CSRD continues to work towards addressing litter complaints. A CSRD Board resolution, passed at the November Board meeting, allows the CSRD to notify property owners of scheduled litter collection events.
Plans for 2022 include exploring options for food waste composting in Golden and starting work on a Solid Waste Management Plan review, which will involve community discussion on long-term options for the site. The review will consider a variety of solid waste management options, such as the possibility of closing the current landfill site, finding a new site for the landfill, or hauling waste to other locations.
Funding models, including tipping fee revisions, will also be explored to cover the cost of future closure works and engineering requirements for the Golden Landfill.
Photo: A series of rock-lined trenches were constructed by local contractors to provide better containment of surface water at the Golden Landfill. (CSRD photo)
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