South Frontenac Council - Jan. 31

Jeff Green | Feb 02, 2012

Ministry, Township Meet Over Portland Waste Site

By Jeff Green

Officials from South Frontenac Township and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MoE) met earlier this week to discuss the contents of the test samples of the surface water at the foot of the Portland waste site, particularly the levels of un-ionized ammonia.

The Portland dump, which is located just south of Verona, has the largest capacity of any of the waste sites in the township, and is the lynchpin of the township’s waste management plan in the medium to long term.

“The levels are higher now than they have been and they are going up, so we are waiting for the township to tell us what they are planning,” said Brian Kaye, a supervisor with the MoE Kingston office.

South Frontenac Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth said that the meeting with the ministry went well, but that the township is still seeking clarification about what the test results mean and what the ministry is expecting.

“We aren't meeting the provincial water quality standards at that location; that much is clear,” he said, adding, “It is also clear that the natural attenuating properties of the wetland are sufficient to filter out the pollutants before they reach the property line.”

Until a couple of years ago, the MoE only stipulated that the water quality standards be met at the property line, but the Certificate of Approval under which the ministry allows the site to operate was altered to require that the standards be met at the toe of the slope where water runs off the landfill.

“I can't speculate as to why they made that change,” said Segsworth, “but in general I would like to think we have become more diligent in following environmental standards throughout our waste management operations and at the Portland site. The word ‘sustainability’ is used to talk about waste management, but to me sustainability is more than a code word for environment. My approach is balanced between environmental, social and financial sustainability for the township.”

“It was a good meeting,” he concluded, “we found out what they are looking for, and we will sit down and look seriously at what we are doing at the site and will meet with them again in a month or so.”

Bill Robinson is a member of South Frontenac Council, representing Portland. He also works for his wife, who owns a company that maintains the Portland site under a management contract with South Frontenac.

Robinson has been working at the waste site for 21 years and has been sitting on council for the last 11 years, so he has experience in both the political and technical aspects of the situation.

“Un-ionized ammonia is just a fancy word for methane gas. The levels went up this fall mainly because we had so much rain, and also because we increased the amount of material going into the landfill when the site was opened up to all of the districts. There has been too much compacting done and that increases the run-off as well,” he said.

One way or another, it important for the township to find a solution that passes muster with the MoE.

If the worst-case scenario comes to fruition and the Portland dump is ordered to be closed, the calculations regarding waste management costs in South Frontenac will go out the window. The sites in Bedford have 17 years of projected life left in them, and the Loughborough site has 18 years, but those sites will fill up much faster than that if Portland is no longer available to take a high percentage of the waste that is generated in the township. The township trucks out waste from part of Storrington District, and at one point all of Storrington's waste was sent away, and the cost of shipping along with tipping fees would increase overall costs, and therefore taxes, considerably.

“It is also not something that a township would want to do on other grounds. If we don’t handle out own waste, then we are asking someone else to deal with our problems. That's not the way we want to go,” said Mark Segsworth.

Plans of Condominium

by Wilma Kenny

Planner Mills introduced township lawyer Tim Wilkin to outline the details of a proposed Official Plan, which would recognize Plans of Condominium as a method of permitting development on private roads without entering into a plan of subdivision. If accepted, this would permit a property to be sold off in individual lots or ‘units’, with the unit holders sharing ownership of all common areas such as parks and access road. The perceived advantage over development on private lanes would be that under the condo act, there would be an effective governance structure that has the authority to ensure the road is built and maintained to the standards set by the township, without the township having to assume the road. It was agreed to bring the proposal to Council. Councillor

York expressed concern that a condo-type development still might not keep its road up to good standards.

Waterfront Setbacks

Mills also recommends strengthening the wording of the Official plan to remove any question about the intent of the township’s policies in regard to the 30 metre setback from lakes and streams. He cited the constantly increasing development pressure on waterfront properties.

Source Water Protection Plan

Representatives from the Cataraqui Region Conservation Association reported that they will soon be seeking public consultation about their draft source water protection plan. Councilor Vandewal registered his objection that so much emphasis was placed on the amount of pollution caused by cattle, pointing out that there were a lot more people than cows living close to Sydenham Lake.

Point Improvement Group

Councilor McPhail asked about the status of the Point Improvement Committee and the Sydenham Lake Association, groups which appear to be working independently of Council to improve township property. CEO Orr confirmed that neither group is a committee of Council.