The City of North Bay has initiated its on-site remediation project at the Jack Garland Airport. Under a $20-million agreement with the Department of National Defence (DND), 97 per cent of the remediation project will be funded by the federal government.

“Remediation efforts for PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are now underway at the Jack Garland Airport lands,” the City of North Bay shared on its social media channels. “Over the coming weeks, the work will focus on excavating and removing contaminated soils, which will be safely transported to a disposal site for destruction. Additionally, absorptive material is being injected at the excavated hot spots.”

The scope of work includes the removal and treatment of the most contaminated soil, the injection of adsorptive material in identified hot spots at the site’s boundary to treat groundwater before it exits, and the placement of adsorptive material at exit locations to prevent PFAS in surface water from downstream migration.

“Our priority throughout this process is and has been the health and safety of our residents,” said Mayor Peter Chirico.

Jacobs Consultancy Canada Inc. developed the remediation plan for North Bay. “The first phase, which focuses on preventing PFAS from leaving the site, includes soil, groundwater, and surface water remediation in the most contaminated areas, also known as ‘hot spots,’ according to a report prepared by Karin Pratte, the City of North Bay’s director, water, wastewater and environmental services.

PFAS are manmade substances found in many consumer and industrial products, including firefighting foam. Past use of the airport lands for firefighter training between the early 1970s and mid-1990s has been identified as the main source of PFAS on the airport property.  Although firefighting foam containing PFAS was an accepted practice and was in accordance with regulations at that time, its use is very limited today.

Since 2017, the City has been working collaboratively with DND, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), and the Health Unit to support ongoing testing and monitoring for PFAS in Trout Lake, Lees Creek and residential wells in close proximity to the North Bay Jack Garland Airport lands.

The level of PFAS detected in the City’s 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 long-standing drinking water advisory for Lees Creek remains in place as well as a fish consumption advisory for fish from the creek issued by the MECP.

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