Some concerns around Dump Site 12 in Clearview

By Stephen Ogden AWARE Simcoe March 4 2012

Many years ago, councils in Simcoe County moved to open many dumps to provide a place to bury our garbage. It has been said many times and by many people, including Simcoe County environmental services director Rob McCullough, that the sites were chosen for convenience, not for their sensitivity to our environment.

Both Site 9 (in Medonte near Coldwater) and Site 12 (in Clearview near Sunnidale Corners) were among these dumps. Both sites, for years, were in violation of the Ministry of the Environment’s “Reasonable Use” guidelines (guidelines that allow some leeway for “reasonable” pollution) and a lot of money has been spent to meet the guidelines by purchasing land around them to act as attenuation zones.  

The sites are both still leaking, but because the plume is diluted by the time it reaches the edge of the county’s property boundary, it is acceptable to the MOE.

Now for some reason, county staff considers these sites to be just fine places to bury our garbage.

 I don’t think so.  

In the eighties three landfill sites were considered to be protective of the environment.and were chosen by councillors of the day to handle all of Simcoe County’s waste:

-South Simcoe in Adjala Township

-Georgian Triangle (Site 42) in Colllingwood and

-Site 41 in Tiny Township.

In addition, after taking over waste management responsibilities in the early nineties, the County attempted to site an incinerator in Innisfil Township. That was rejected by the MOE and the residents.

South Simcoe was located in water and was totally rejected by our political masters.  In fact South Simcoe municipalities firmly decided they would never have a new dump, and would ship garbage to Site 12 in Clearview when the need arose.

Years ago, the Georgian Triangle site received Environmental Assessment approval to move ahead with plans for a 1,362,000 cubic metre landfill site. As with Site 41, the County still has to prepare a design and operations report for how the site will be constructed.  When the MOE approves the design they will issue a Certificate of Approval.  

It seems we need some answers on the County’s plans for Site 42.

Tiny Township Site 41 proved conclusively that Simcoe County residents want and demand a better solution to our waste.

So, after all that, why would the County believe it can just rubber-stamp another dump located on a back road sitting in an area of water that is potable?

Sunnidale Site 12 is not the superior containment site the County raved about when it promoted Site 41. It is a attenuation site that relies on dilution of contaminants.

The plan is to install a liner and collection system to minimize the threat to the groundwater.

LINERS LEAK.  

If the County was siting new locations for landfill now, this site just south of Wasaga Beach, in close proximity to the Nottawasaga River, would never be considered.  

Have we not learned anything from our terrible history of managing waste?

Therein lies the major problem.  

We are all too ready to forget the mistakes of the past, allowing us to repeat them  in the future.