FOLLOWING IS THE TEXT OF MY DELEGATION TO WOOLWICH COUNCIL LAST MONDAY

 

                                                                                                                        May 1, 2022

                            BOLENDER PARK LANDFILL 39 YEARS of                                         MONITORING

                                                 SORT OF

Methane monitoring started in 1983 and continued for two years in a row. It started again in 1986 and went for another two years in a row. Monitoring then had a seven year pause until 1994 when it ran for ...one year. It then started up again in 1996 for one year. Flash forward eleven years until 2007 when it then ran for four years in a row. After that we had a five year pause until 2015. We then had two years of monitoring in a row from 2015 until 2016. Another five year hiatus occurred with new monitoring last year in 2021 done by R.J. Burnside & Assoc.

There was an “active” Gas Collection System installed in 1984 which likely ran effectively for at least one year, maybe longer. Certainly the eleven gas probes from this Collection System, that included a pump, were working from 1984 until 1996. Some of these individual gas probes had high concentrations of methane gas as indicated in the five calendar years that the probes were monitored namely 1984, 86, 87, 94 and 96. At that point the eleven year pause took place from 1996 until 2007. The reason I question whether the blower or pump was working properly is because even during the highest concentrations of methane at the individual gas probes the pump measured zero % of methane by volume in air on six occasions between 1985 and 2007. The other six times that the gas probes were monitored and had methane in them, the blower or pump methane concentration was Not Measured. Therefore other than the year the Collection System was installed (1984) and the pump measured 5% methane by volume in air, there hasn't been a single pump reading since indicating that any of the methane was actually being removed.

I might also add that there hasn't been a single gas probe reading at any of the eleven gas probes comprising the Gas Collection System since 1996, twenty-six years ago. Nor have there been any readings at the initial eight gas probes installed in 1983 for the last twenty-six years. Now do keep in mind that zero monitoring took place for the next eleven years anywhere on the property (i.e. 1996-2007). Also in 2007 there were a plethora of reasons given in the Conestoga Rovers reports on the Bolender Landfill for the lack of readings specifically including gas probes NF-Not Found, gas probes NMFL-Not Measured (Flooded), gas probes NMBl – Not Measured (Blocked), gas probes NRNC-Not Reliable No Caps on Probe, and just plain NM- Probe Not Measured. I repeat that these acronyms NF, NM, Blocked, Flooded etc. are Conestoga Rover's designations and descriptions, not mine. To help replace these non-functioning gas probes one new gas probe was installed in 1995. Unfortunately it's limited readings were NMNIP -Not Measured-Not Installed Properly. Four more gas probes were installed in 2008 and a further four more in 2015. Both sets of new gas probes (2008, 2015) positioned two probes each at the east end of the Bolender Landfill nearest High St. For two of the next three years very high methane readings were measured from the east end 2008 gas probes. Oddly when monitoring resumed five years later three of the four 2008 gas probes were Destroyed and the fourth had readings twice of zero, twice Not Measured and NRMI-Not Reliable (Malfunctioning Instrument). Meanwhile the two 2015 installed gas probes at the west end of the property had incredibly high and dangerous methane readings.

Now we attend to the five gas probes installed in 2021 as well as a further reading taken from one of the west end 2015 installed gas probes. Incredibly GP2-15 had a reading of 73.8% methane concentration by volume in air, equal to the highest concentrations ever found on the site back in the 1990s. Four of the five 2021 gas probes exceeded the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) and the fifth exceeded 20% LEL which is still considered potentially dangerous. Two of these five new gas probes concentrations could not be compared to earlier readings as none were located nearby, two with nearby earlier installed gas probes exceeded their 2015 installed probe concentrations and the last new gas probe had a concentration lower than a nearby earlier installed gas probe.

Then of course we have GHD's last two landfill reports (2015 & 2016) advising that a Remedial Action Plan for methane control was necessary as well as advising that a methane warning device had been reinstalled into the former Paleshi Garage. A recent report (2021) from R.J. Burnside on behalf of 39A Holdings states that there are no methane issues on either the western or eastern part of the property that could negatively affect the proposed parking lot. Perhaps the real question should be will the proposed parking lot if accepted, negatively affect either future monitoring or a new methane collection system whether a passive or active one.

I would characterize my experiences with past Woolwich Councils and staff as unhelpful. That is unfortunate because maybe there are some facts or verifiable data that Woolwich could provide me with that would give me a different perspective versus the one I've had since about 2015. That perspective is that Woolwich Township have not been following accepted best practices regarding dealing with methane gas in the Bolender Landfill. Maybe you have a legitimate reason but I certainly to date have not seen nor heard it.

Alan Marshall