Illegal dump near Chilliwack could contaminate groundwater: MOE report

An illegal dump in the Columbia Valley is dumping leachate into the ground and could contaminate groundwater, according to a report from the Department of the Environment.

Concerned residents in the Lindell Beach and Cultus Lake neighborhoods felt vindicated last summer when the Agricultural Land Commission ordered all trash removed from the property.

Abbotsford-based company Fraser Valley Renewables (FVR) was given until May 31 to remove massive piles of waste from Bruce Vanderwyk’s farmland at 810 Iverson Road. It did not have the required permits to dispose of an estimated 14,000 tons of commercial waste that was contaminated with “foreign material” such as plastic.

The move started last year but stopped shortly after less than 50 truckloads.

Now the company could face “administrative sanctions” after a recent inspection by the Environment Ministry looked at leachate and runoff flows at the base of the towering waste piles.

“FVR should immediately stop the unauthorized discharge of waste into the environment and implement additional measures to reduce risks to the receiving environment,” the MOE report said.

The site is in a high rainfall area and “over a sensitive aquifer recharge area” in Chilliwack, the MOE report highlights, and located on silt loam or well-drained soil.

“Based on this information and a review of the ALS sample data, leachate discharge to the ground at this location could be a potential source of groundwater contamination.”

Resident D’Arcy Henderson said it was “beyond frustrating and infuriating” to live across the street from the landfill where huge piles of malodorous waste await disposal, knowing they could contaminate their drinking water sources.

Some neighbors formed the group, Cultus-Columbia Valley Action Committee, to push for more decisive action from regulators.

The company admits to dumping a total of about 1,500 truckloads in 2022, but the action committee estimates it is more likely to be 2,000 to 3,000 truckloads over a period of months, only to be ordered for disposal by the ALC at the end of May 2024.

In June 2023, the first truckloads started removing the illegal waste.

“But there’s no indication it will all be moved before the deadline,” Henderson said, given the amount of material left.

READ MORE: The pace of illegal waste disposal is too slow

The first story residents heard was that the waste company would bring in 300 loads of ‘compostable’ organic waste material, which would sit on the farmland for a while, and then be applied to the land and composted, and/or would sell. compost.

“In that context, it sounded like a reasonable suggestion,” Henderson said.

The waste was later classified as ‘commercial waste’ and not compost, when it failed to meet quality criteria due to ‘foreign material’ such as plasterboard and plastic contaminants mixed with the other organic materials.

Company representatives were instructed to stop transporting any more waste by September 2022, and to cover the piles with plastic to prevent runoff and leaching, and to prevent the blowing plastic from contaminating. The company applied to the FVRD for a permit to treat the materials on site, such as sieving the plastic, but this was flatly rejected.

Cult resident Coralea Towler, a member of the action committee, said they hope the report will spur action.

“This appears to be good news as the MOE has recognized that there is contamination and leaching and that this is a concern for Aquifer 20.”

The company has been referred for “administrative sanctions,” but it is not clear what that means, or how many fines they could face, Towler said.

But the real question for residents is what happens after May 31 if the waste is still there, and whether taxpayer money should be used to remove the waste and remediate the site.

“An equally troubling question is: If they take it away, where does it go?” Towler said.

“With more than 25 illegal dumps in the Fraser Valley Regional District, and the deplorable situation of waste being dumped in the Hatzic Lake area, this is a cause for concern for everyone.”

The neighbors not only want the site cleaned up, but are also calling for legislation to prevent this from ever happening again.

“Illegal dumping has become a national problem,” Henderson said. “The provincial government needs to step up its game. We need a better plan.”