STAFF REPORT

November 16, 1999

To: Works Committee

From: Barry H. Gutteridge, Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services

Subject: Old Landfill Sites

Purpose:

To report back on the status of the City of Toronto's Old Landfill sites program.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

There are no financial implications resulting from this report.

Recommendations:

That this report be received for information.

Background:

On June 3, 1998, City Council approved Clause No. 6 of Report No. 5 of the Works and Utilities Committee regarding old landfills in the City of Toronto. The report recommended that "staff report back starting in 1999 on the risk evaluation and site status and identify whether any remedial action needs to be accelerated and included in the capital program or funded from other sources."

Comments:

The following is a brief overview of work underway on old landfills:

1. Site assessment and remedial actions programs continue to progress at old landfill sites that were previously monitored by the former Metropolitan Toronto and the former City of Scarborough. The following are the main undertakings:

a) Brock West Landfill, Pickering:

There is a considerable amount of perpetual care responsibilities that remain including environmental monitoring and various engineering works. Landfill gas continues to be collected and utilized.

b) Brock North, Pickering:

Waste from the site was transported to the Brock West Landfill in 1997. The haulage of leachate to the Highland Creek waste water treatment plant is no longer required. Only a minor amount of monitoring and engineering work is required at the site.

c) Beare Landfill:

There are ongoing environmental monitoring and maintenance responsibilities. Landfill gas continues to be collected and utilized.

d) Thackeray Landfill:

The need for an updated leachate collection system is being evaluated. A request for proposals for the collection and utilization of landfill gas from the site is forthcoming.

e) Morningside Landfill:

Phase II of the Remedial Action Plan is underway. A landfill gas interceptor trench is nearly completed between the landfill and an adjacent residential development.

f) Porter Landfill:

A methane gas detection system is being installed this year at the Archbishop Romero Catholic Secondary School adjacent to the old Porter landfill.

g) Western Former Metro Landfills:

There are six old landfills in the western half of the City that were monitored by the former Metropolitan Toronto. They have been retrofitted with new monitoring instrumentation and revised programs as recommended by a consulting firm retained by the City. City staff are providing monitoring results to the consultant who will provide a report analyzing the results and possibly make further recommendations.

h) Eastern Former Metro Landfills:

There are eight old landfills in the eastern half of the City that were monitored by the former Metropolitan Toronto. As with the above six old landfills, a consulting firm has recommended retrofitting these with new monitoring instrumentation and revised programs. This work has been started this year but much of the construction requires negotiations with property owners and will likely not be undertaken until 2000. Subsequently, City staff will monitor these sites and provide the results to the consultant who will provide a report analyzing the results and possibly make further recommendations.

i) Former Scarborough Landfills:

There are fifteen sites in the former City of Scarborough, other than those already covered by the aforementioned items, which have been or are being monitored and/or assessed for risk by City staff.

10. Municipal Landfills other than those covered in the former Metro and Scarborough programs:

We will be conducting site identification assessments and risk evaluations on other old landfills in the City that were not included in the old landfills programs under the former Metropolitan Toronto and the former City of Scarborough. These sites will be the subject of a further report.

An explanation and justification of proposed work is covered in the 2000-2004 Capital Budget Submission under program SW305 Perpetual Care of Landfill. Funding and expenditure recommendations were made therein.

Conclusions:

There is significant work underway respecting the City's old landfills. Funding for this work has been included in the 2000-2004 Capital Works Submission.

Contact:

Lou Ciardullo

Manager, Landfills

Solid Waste Management Services

Works and Emergency Services

Tel: (905) 832-0682 Ext. 235

Fax: (905) 832-4944

E-mail: lou_ciardullo@toronto.ca

Angelos Bacopoulos

General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services

Barry H. Gutteridge

Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services

LC/sh

OldLandfills.doc