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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSD-024-01 w~ "f- Cl~-!lJgron REPORT PLANNING SERVICES DEPARTMENT Meeting: Date: Report #: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Recommendation #c1Il:..flo -{) ( By-law # MONDAY OCTOBER 1, 2001 1JJ'7 PSD-024-01 File # PLN 33.4.4 Subject: PORT GRANBY LOW LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT Recommendations: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report PSD-024-01 be received for information. Submitted by: David . rome, M.C.I.P.,R.P.P. Directo , Planning Services O~CJ4 Reviewed by: Franklin Wu Chief Administrative Officer JS*DJC*sh September 26, 2001 647QI REPORT PSD-024-01 Paqe 2 1.0 PURPOSE OF REPORT This report provides Committee and Council with an update of the status of the Port Granby Low Level Radioactive Waste Management Initiative. 2.0 CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS 2.1 Scoping Phase The Port Granby project (the Project) is subject to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). The Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Project will be proceeding independently from the Port Hope and Welcome projects. The three projects together are collectively known as The Port Hope Area Initiative. Various agencies will be assigned roles under the CEAA, as follows: . The Proponent will be the Low Level Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO) and will be responsible for undertaking the EA. . A Responsible Authority (RA) is any federal agency that will make a decision with respect to the Project. These include Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), which as the funding agency, will be the lead RA, and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) which will issue the licence for the construction of the project. Other federal agencies may also be identified as RAs as the project progresses. For example, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is expected to be an RA- their approval will be required for the bluff stabilization work. The Province of Ontario is not expected to require an EA under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. The EA process formally starts when the LLRWMO registers the Project with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. The Project Description will be made available for review at that time. The LLRWMO currently anticipates that the Project Description will be released before the end of 2001. The LLRWMO also circulates the Project Description to various federal agencies for review. During this stage, called the Scoping Phase, federal agencies formally identify themselves as Regulatory Authorities, and also identify the scope of studies that will need to be undertaken for the Project. Upon completion of their initial review, the RAs will release a draft Scoping Document. It is at this point that the public consultation period begins. The consultation period normally lasts for 30 days. The LLRWMO currently 64702 . . REPORT PSD-Q24-01 Paqe 3 anticipates that the draft Scoping Document will be available for public review and comment early in 2002. 2.2 Selection of Management Option The Project proposal currently consists of the management option recommended by Council in August 1999. This proposal, known as Option 28, would involve the excavation of the wastes located in the East Gorge and storing them in an engineered mound on the site. The shoreline would be stabilized. The other wastes on-site would remain in place and be covered with an impermeable cap. However, in recommending this option, Council requested a number of studies, as follows: . to determine the concentration of Thorium23o in the wastes located in the East Gorge; . additional data in regards to groundwater flow through the East Gorge and contact with the wastes deposited in the middle till and lower sands area; . potential impacts of shoreline erosion control measures on other shoreline properties in the area, and . a contingency plan for the relocation of additional wastes in the event of system failure. These studies will be undertaken as part of the EA process. As well, the EA process requires other alternatives, including all of the management options previously considered by Council, to also be reviewed and evaluated. Because Council's support for the Project is conditional, the Proponent will approach the Municipality with the results of these studies and the review of other management options at some time through the EA process. At that time, the Proponent will request Council to make a final decision on which management option for the Port Granby site is preferred. LLRWMO staff have advised that Council's selection of another preferred management option will not delay the completion of the EA. The studies for all of the management options will be undertaken in sufficient detail to allow another management option to be put forward as the preferred option. 64703 ... . ,P REPORT PSD-024-01 PaQe 4 The entire EA process is expected to take about 4 years. 3.0 Communications Strategy Effective public input is one of the most critical components of the federal Environmental Assessment process. The Proponent is required to develop and undertake a communication strategy that allows public consultation through the entire EA process. This strategy is currently being developed and discussed with staff representatives from both the Municipality of Clarington and the newly created Municipality of Port Hope. This Communications Strategy must be in place by the time the draft Scoping Document is released for public review and comment. A project information office has been established at 110 Walton Street in Port Hope. Information related to the Project will also be available at various locations in Clarington, including the Municipal Administrative Centre and possibly libraries. The LLRWMO also anticipates mailing out a newsletter to the residents of east Clarington by the middle of October. This newsletter will include a letter from the federal Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Ralph Goodale. 4.0 Property Value Protection Program Under the terms of the Agreement with the federal government, a Property Value Protection (PVP) program must be in place by October 1, 2001. The area in Clarington where the program applies is defined in the Agreement. The northern boundary is a line 300 metres north of Durham Highway 2, while the western boundary is a line 300 metres west of Newtonville Road. The southern and eastern boundaries are Lake Ontario and Townline Road respectively. A letter is forthcoming from the federal government to announce the establishment of the PVP program, effective October 1, 2001. A notice regarding the program will also appear in local newspapers. CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, 80WMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T(905)623-3379 F (905)623-6506 647~4