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LETTER: Buried time bombs

This week’s mysterious oil spill into the bridge pond was eventually tracked down to a forgotten buried oil tank, that was blocks away from the impact area.
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This week’s mysterious oil spill into the bridge pond was eventually tracked down to a forgotten buried oil tank, that was blocks away from the impact area. This should be a sober warning to us all that even though you could be a great distance away from the water, you might as well be standing on the deck of a boat pouring contaminant directly into the ocean. 

That is what the underground drainage system of this town does. By design, the underground drainage system transports anything liquid including; rain water, oil dripping from your car, antifreeze onto your driveway, soap from washing your car. 

One of the biggest bombs that many have forgotten about, and many residents new to the area may never heard of, is the town of Squamish’s second garbage dump hidden under a cap of earth that is slowly leeching into the waterways as well. 

To what extent are the contaminants coming from this old landfill?  Have a walk around the site and you will see old rusting red steel posts coming out of the ground. These were groundwater monitor stations back when the dump was decommissioned but now seem forgotten.  When the site for this landfill was chosen back in the day, Mayor Pat Brennen warned of the future liability to the town. 

Perhaps this week’s disaster can turn into next week’s awareness. 

 

Editor’s note: The District says staff is aware of the former landfill that John Buchanan refers to in his letter, which is located on BC Rail Properties, an entity of the provincial government. 

The landfill took residential waste from 1956 until it was closed in 1980, according to the District. A spokesperson sent the following statement regarding the old landfill: “The BC Ministry of Environment has been the agency responsible for oversight and assessment of this property since its closure, and is responsible for overseeing the monitoring program. Based on the most recent documentation the District has received, groundwater contaminants were within the acceptable range of provincial standards, though specific questions should be directed to MoE. The District is also requesting a recent status update from MoE. Any pollution or leaching into our environment and waterways is always a concern for the District of Squamish.”

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