NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: South Slave Region

Tags: contaminants, remediation, ecological risk assessment, soil sampling

Objective(s): To fill gaps previously identified to support a human health and ecological risk assessment, as well as remedial/risk management options analysis and associated cost estimation for the Site.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5297. The field program aims to fill gaps previously identified to support a human health and ecological risk assessment, as well as remedial/risk management options analysis and associated cost estimation for the Site. A Phase III Environmental Site Assessment will be completed to delineate environmental impacts, collect background soil geochemistry, and provide an up to date debris and waste inventory. A geotechnical assessment will be performed to locate the availability of borrow sources for use in future remediation, and a Archaeological Assessment to investigate areas of elevated potential for surface/subsurface archaeological resources in areas that could be disturbed during future remediation. Ten locations on site have been identified as Area's of Environmental Concern (AECs) based on the historical use of the site, and each will require a combination of the following sample types - soil, surface water, sediments, building materials, and barrel contents. Soil samples will be collected using hand tools around each AEC and if present, vegetation/soil sample pairs will be collected from some of the soil sampling locations. Surface water samples will be collected in the top 0.5 m of the water column, and where feasible in drainage channels using a grab-pole sampler prior to collecting sediment samples. Sediment samples will be collected using a Petite Ponar or Eckman Grab sampler, or equivalent. Hazardous Material sampling such as the collection of paint chips, building material suspected to contain asbestos, and liquids from barrel remaining at the site will also take place to determine disposal requirements for future remediation. All samples will be submitted to an accredited laboratory for analysis. Once the results are received, they will be interpreted and compared to the regulatory guidelines. The results will be summarized in a Phase III Environmental Assessment report and used to complete a Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment. The results of these reports will be used to help determine the best way to remediate or manage the site to reduce potential risks to humans and the environment. The results of this study will be provided to our client, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)/Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC). Two community meetings will be attended by BluMetric staff to discuss the remedial options for the site with community stakeholders, answer questions and obtain comments from community members on the project, and to arrive at a consensus on the most appropriate remedial option for each environmental issue identified at the site. These community meetings are planned for Fort Resolution and Hay River. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from August 1, 2022 to August 10, 2022