There are indications that the sleeping giant on Carp Road at the Waste Management of Canada landfill site north of the 417, may soon stir.
Since the landfill was closed in 2011, the site has been relatively quiet compared to the days when hundreds of trucks entered and exited the site daily. In 2013, the site was approved by the provincial government for expansion and the construction of a new landfill. The final approval required before construction can start is the Site Plan Control which was conditionally approved back in 2015 and has been in negotiations between the company and the city since. The most recent information from the city is that negotiations could be coming to a close soon, giving the company a green light to start construction when they see fit.
The Company posts annual environmental reports on their Website for public viewing and information. However; the last report post is dated 2017, leaving the public not knowing current environmental conditions at the site and whether mitigations measures to control off-site leachate movement are working and how they will impact construction and operations at the new landfill.
Reports for 2018, 2019 and 2020 have been presented to the provincial government, the city of Ottawa and the Public Liaison (WCEC/PLC) as required by the approved Environmental Assessment (EA). The WCEC/PLC is defined in condition 6.3 of the EA as “…as the focal point for dissemination, review and exchange of information and monitoring relevant to the undertaking…”. Although the construction of the new landfill has not yet started, the monitoring data in the annual reports provide important baseline information for the understanding of how environmental conditions of the site will impact landfill construction and operation.
As final approval of the Site Plan nears it is more important than ever that the public have access to important environmental data so that there is a clear understanding of site conditions prior to the start of any construction of the new landfill.
So, keep your eyes open for public notification of the approved Site Plan and any increase in activity at the site. The first signs should be work on a new entrance onto Carp Road north of the existing entrance with road widening and new turning lanes, which must be completed before landfill construction can start.