The City of North Bay, Ontario, and the Department of National Defence (DND) have reached an agreement that could see up to $8.2 million for the design of treatment upgrades and a six-month pilot program to test PFAS treatment options at the North Bay Drinking Water Treatment Plant over a two-year term.
The water treatment plant funding comes as DND also announced an additional $100 million (following $20 million in 2021) for remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) at the Jack Garland Airport near 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base (CFB) North Bay.
“This additional funding is an important step forward in our ongoing efforts to address PFAS in North Bay,” announced North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico. “It allows us to continue remediation at Jack Garland Airport and advance the engineering and design of upgrades to our water treatment system, all with the goal of providing safe, clean drinking water for our community.”
The remediation funding will be administered over 16 years and cover 97% of the project cost, federal officials said.
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PFAS chemicals were used in firefighting foams at the base and former training areas at the airport from the early 1970s until the mid-1990s.
Last month, a $105-million class action was launched against the federal government and the City of North Bay over the long-term release of PFAS. The suit alleges that the chemicals contaminated private drinking water wells in the surrounding community. In a recent court filing, Transport Canada issued a statement that it exercised due diligence in addressing potential contamination.
