The Ontario City of North Bay plans to begin PFAS environmental remediation efforts at its local airport in June, after local officials finalized an $8-million contract with Jacobs Consultancy Canada Inc. in late February.
The Department of National Defense (DND) agreed in 2021 to spend $20 million for the cleanup project, as it utilized and released aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) containing PFAS for decades during firefighter training at the North Bay Jack Garland Airport property.
Since 2017, North Bay officials have been working with DND, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), and the local health unit to support ongoing testing and monitoring for PFAS in Trout Lake, Lees Creek and residential wells in close proximity to the airport lands.
North Bay is responsible for 3%, or $90,000, of the cleanup contract.
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“I for one am thrilled that we will now be onsite reducing the downstream impacts,” said Councillor Lana Mitchell prior to the contract vote on February 27.
Jacobs Consultancy Canada Inc. has already prepared a remediation plan for the airport lands. They will initially focus on hotspots that will see them remove and treat the most heavily contaminated soils. Adsorptive materials will also be utilized to treat groundwater prior to leaving the site, as well as at surface water exit locations.
“The development of a PFAS remediation plan has been a complex undertaking that began more than two years ago,” announced Mayor Peter Chirico in a statement. “We are extremely pleased that cleanup efforts at the airport site are now about to get underway. Our priority throughout this process is and has been the health and safety of our residents.”
The level of PFAS detected in the municipal water supply remains significantly lower than drinking water screening values set out by Health Canada and the interim guidance level provided by the MECP. A longstanding drinking water advisory and a fish consumption advisory remain in place for Lees Creek.
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