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1 PAGE 4 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, JUNE 20,2001 Clarington gets $10 million for waste compensation Clean-up deal is signed, sealed and delivered BY JACQUIE MdNNES Sni ff Writer CLARINGTON - Clarington lias received $10 million from the federal government and signed a legal agreement agreement beginning the $260-million clean-up and containment of low level radioactive waste in this municipality, municipality, Port Hope and Hope. Durham MP Alex Shepherd and federal Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodalc made the announcement announcement Tuesday that signing of the agreement will initiate a five-year environmental environmental assessment and review which will include public consultation consultation and studies for construction of containment facilities with a 500- year lifespan. "The people of Clarington have worked hard trying to find a solution to the waste problem in their community," community," said Mr. Shepherd. "This agreement agreement shows the commitment the federal federal government and municipality have had to find a solution." Currently, the LLRW sits in the ground south of Lakcshorc Road directly directly abutting Lake Ontario just east of Port Granby. It contains arsenic, heavy metals and radioactive thorium within the soil. Under the agreement, it will be stabilized by berms and treatment systems to ensure it cannot leach into the surrounding environment. environment. The containment is necessary to ensure some of the more toxic elements elements in the waste, such as arsenic, do not reach local groundwaters and ultimately Lake Ontario where they could irreparably damage the drinking drinking water supply. John Stephenson was a member of the Port Granby Low Level Radio Active Waste Advisory Committee given the task of working with consultants consultants to bring forward recommendations recommendations to store the waste. He says, "Overall I'm delighted it's progress- ,ing. We put a fair amount of work into that proposal." The committee was disbanded after .the report was completed. The hope, he says, is the Reptile road REPTILE from page I says Mr. Plumpton. "When the temperature temperature came up this was a happy turtle place," he says, referring to the reptile's mating season. "The females are laying eggs. Some dig right in the side of the road trying to find a sunny spot. What we see are the nesting females." females." On one day recently, Mr. Plumpton says he saw 15 turtles crossing the road. The marshes on either either side of the road are home to hundreds hundreds of the creatures, he explains. There is an added word of caution for motorists who think it might be easier to move the turtles than attempt to go around them. "People shouldn't touch them," warns Mr. Plumpton, who notes the turtles have sharp claws on their hind legs as well as their front. "If they grab it, there is a danger," he says, relating the story of a man who was trying to move the turtle with a piece of cardboard. Mr. Plumpton advised him against it and got a branch to do the job. The turtle snapped the branch in half. They may be nasty creatures but they have endeared themselves to residents residents in the area who enjoy the sight of those baby snappers making their way back to the homestead after they're born. "We're all mutual admirers," admirers," says Mr. Plumpton, who notes the babies make the journey on their own. After the eggs are laid the female leaves, he says, observing, "They're not very maternal." committee will be brought together to liaise with the designers of the containment containment site to ensure "our concepts arc properly reviewed and understood. understood. "We would like the opportunity to work with them." He adds the committee committee would like the containment solution solution to be one where the contaminated contaminated land is left in place. "The committee committee certainly doesn't want one shovelful of that dirt disturbed," he says. Co-committee member Jean Payne agrees. "I would be very disappointed if they chose somebody out of the area and new to it. It should be the people who worked on the research." Clarington Mayor John Mutton says lie is extremely pleased the municipality municipality was able to work out a compensation deal with the federal government for the waste, resulting from a federal nuclear facility operated operated in the 1950s. "If it wasn't for (municipal solicitor) solicitor) Dennis Heffcron we never would've had the compensation," lie says. "He worked on behalf of all the municipalities and proved to the federal federal government there should be some host community benefit since it wasn't our waste to begin with." The $10 million must remain in a reserve fund until the containment is complete, says the mayor, who notes, the municipality will be able to spend the interest earned in the meantime. "Even at five per cent that's half a million a year," lie says. Like other funds the municipality receives, it will benefit all of Clarington, Clarington, lie says. Mr. Stephenson says lie docs hope the Port Granby area will benefit directly directly in some way from at least part of the funding. "The residents have had to put up with a lot of inconvenience. I think local residents should have a facility useful to them come out of it." MAYOR JOHN MU'ITON Municipality will be able to spend interest earned. 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