BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON DANFORD LAKE MEGADUMP
Updated: February 2007
- The Government of Quebec has passed legislation requiring all open trench dumps operating in the province closed by 2008.
- An engineered landfill (a megadump) is considered by some the solution for all the waste generated in the Outaouais.
- In 2004, the site developers, LDC Management and Environmental Services, approached the municipality of Alleyn-and-Cawood to propose the landfill site. At its regular council meeting on November 1, 2004 the Council adopted a resolution to allow LDC to undertake environmental impact studies.
- In the Spring of 2006, Mayor Joe Squitti and four of the six councillors of Alleyn-and-Cawood (Danford Lake) requested Danford Lake be considered as a possible location for the regional megadump.
- On June 2, 2006 the provinces of Ontario and Quebec signed 10 agreements to further cooperation between the two provinces. The Coalition is trying to find out whether or not the agreement on transportation will allow the cross-border transportation of waste from one province to the other. One of the Coalition’s fears is that the proposed megadump site receives demolition and construction waste originated in Ontario.
- In June 2006, the Pontiac Regional Council (M.R.C. de Pontiac) led by Warden Michael McCrank passed a motion to have Danford Lake added to the list of potential sites for the megalandfill.
- In September 2006, acting at the request of the municipality of Alleyn-and-Cawood, the Pontiac Regional Council took over the file by passing a motion to designate Danford lake as a “site of regional interest” for an engineered landfill. Five of the 17 mayors on the Council voted against the motion, knowing it would scuttle the local citizens chances of having a referendum on the issue.
- In October 2006, despite repeated public promises by the Pontiac warden and mayors that this project would never be imposed on the citizens of Alleyn-and-Cawood without a binding consultation process, the Pontiac Warden admitted that the Regional Council had de facto eliminated the opportunity for a public referendum on zoning changes in Alleyn-and-Cawood when it took over the file in September. Shawville’s mayor, Albert Armstrong, tabled his own resolution to allow the citizens of Alleyn-and-Cawood an opportunity to vote on the required changes to their municipal zoning and planning bylaws. His motion will be voted on at the November Pontiac Council meeting.
- The Quebec Ministry of Environment is still reviewing the 22 environmental impact studies conducted by the site promoters. They will be made public around February 2007. A first 45-day public hearing is expected to take place soon after. If there is enough opposition to the project, a 4-6 month public hearing will follow.
- The Coalition Against Danford Megadump comprises (seasonal and permanent) residents of the municipality of Alleyn-and-Cawood, of neighboring communities and of the Outaouais at large. The Coalition is dedicated to preventing the imposition of a massive garbage dump, and is attempting to provide viable landfill alternatives that will resolve the municipality’s waste disposal needs in a manner acceptable to the community.
- Alternative waste disposal methods (e.g., plasma gasification, modern incineration) have been successfully used in Europe, in Japan and in other parts of the world. Over the past few months, the Coalition has laid the results of their research on landfill alternatives before the residents, the Warden and elected officials of the Pontiac and also the other Wardens of the Outaouais.
- LDC, Management and Environmental Services is owned by an Ottawa demolition and recycling company (Cohen and Cohen, 75%) and Gatineau businessman Denis Rouleau (25%).
FACT SHEET: DANFORD LAKE MEGADUMP
LANDFILL DETAILS
- The proposed landfill site is 545 acres. This is equivalent in size to 145 square blocks or downtown Ottawa (between Bronson and Laurier Avenues, and Catherine and Elgin Streets)
- Capable of accepting 240,000 tons of waste per year for at least 30 years.
- Located 8 kilometres west of the village of Danford Lake
- Site is 300 meters from the Picanoc River – the watershed that feeds the Gatineau River
- Land composition – sandy soil adjacent to rivers, creeks and wet-lands
- Accessible by highways 105, 148, 301
- Landfill may decrease municipal property taxes for the residents of Danford Lake and may create between 10-20 jobs (unconfirmed)
LANDFILL RISKS
- Toxic contamination of surface and ground water, Picanoc and Kazabazua Rivers:
LDC’s site proposal calls for polyethylene plastic liners to mitigate against leachate seepage. (Leachate is a toxic residue that results from a mixture of chemicals collected in landfill sites.) Environment Canada, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the American Society of Civil Engineers have all stated that these liners leak, even when new, and are vulnerable to tears from machinery, animals and chemical solvents. In March 2006, LDC distributed a pamphlet entitled TheFacts advocating the safety of the landfill. However the document also concedes: “in spite of all precautions and controls, there remains a certain risk of untreated leachate leaks and resurgences.” (Page 5, Section 2: During Landfill Operations)
- Unwanted wildlife (such as seagulls and rats)
- Increases in open-bed and tractor-trailer truck traffic along highways 105, 148, 301
- Increased risk of accidents, increased litter along highways
- Uncontrolled hours of operation
- Decrease in property values for all communities along highways 105, 301 and 148
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Sign the petition (at www.savedanford.com)
- Join the Coalition Against Danford Megadump (at www.savedanford.com)
- Write letters to your Quebec local council and to provincial politicians (at www.savedanford.com)
- Make donations (at www.savedanford.com)