The removal of illegally dumped waste is finally underway from a property in the Columbia Valley near Chilliwack.
Neighbours gathered Friday afternoon (July 12) in an adjacent field to celebrate their successful advocacy as the waste removal continued from the property 810 Iverson Road.
Resident D'Arcy Henderson said she is "cautiously, optimistically delighted" to see the heavy equipment at work at the site, and the trucks given the potential of the mixed waste to pollute the groundwater.
"This is most sustained effort we've seen so far, and it seems to be ramping up so we're very pleased," Henderson said.
The catalyst for the reinvigorated removal effort was the pollution prevention order by Ministry of the Environment issued on July 3. The order by MOE under the Environmental Management Act, sets out deadlines and the process for the waste removal by the company, Fraser Valley Renewables, along with requirements for subsequent groundwater inspection and leachate collection.
Avtar Sundher, director of operations for the Agricultural Land Commission confirmed that the "waste export" started on July 2 on Iverson Road.
"The company advises it will take them approximately 60 days to remove all the waste," Sundher said. No fines have been issued at this point, he said.
Concerned residents sounded the alarm in August 2022 about the mixed waste that was being deposited on the farm property owned by Bruce Vander Wyk.
In October 2022, the piles of waste, containing organic matter mixed with business waste, was determined to have been deposited on the land by MOE without the necessary permits or land application plan.
The outcome was a warning about the waste operation discharge "causing or allowing waste produced by a prescribed activity or operation to be introduced to the environment," and the company was issued the warning on Dec. 5, 2022.
On January 3, 2023, officials with Fraser Valley Renewables submitted an action plan in response to the ministry’s warning, which included piling and covering the waste material with black plastic liner to prevent further discharge and runoff and to stop further processing of it. The company later submitted a "non-farm use" application to the ALC in an attempt to begin processing the waste into usable compost, on-site rather than having to remove it.
The ALC said no to that application, and it later issued a remediation order for removal of the waste material from the site by May 31, 2024.
The waste was found to be contaminated with “foreign matter” like plastics and drywall.
Leachate samples from the February 2024 inspection were collected from three locations. Results from the sampling showed elevated concentrations of "nutrients, coliforms, and total and dissolved metals."
The February 2024 inspection found that the materials piled on bare ground were without leachate collection or treatment works needed to stop the waste from entering the environment, and that was a critical determination by the agency. The company was ordered to remove the piles of waste from the agricultural property on Iverson Road by a deadline of May 31, 2024.
The residents felt vindicated. Until the deadline came and went.
The plastic covering had started to break down and flap in the wind, and and the materials were leaching contaminants into pools of water at the base of the piles.
On the heels of numerous inspections by MOE, the latest "pollution order" required that by July 12, 2024, with the exception of the single pile in the process of being removed, the company would "completely cover all waste storage piles with impermeable cover to protect the material from precipitation and prevent runoff and solids from escaping."
Then by September 2024, any piles not removed by that point have to have a leachate collection and storage system in place to capture and contain the runoff.
The site is in a high precipitation area “over a vulnerable aquifer recharge area” in Chilliwack, the MOE report underlined, and situated on silt loam, or well-drained soil.
The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) rep said it was the vigilance of the residents in the Columbia Valley, Lindell Beach and Cultus Lake communities who kept up the pressure.
"That's what made the difference," said Taryn Dixon, FVRD's electoral area H rep.
The community "wouldn't let go," of the issue, and throughout the ordeal they conducted themselves in a "classy" and non-confrontational way.
"I am super proud of them," Dixon said.
"The steady stream of emails and calls to the provincial people and to me, have made a huge difference," Dixon wrote in a report to the Cultus Lake Park Board on the Iverson File.
"This issue was kept at the top of everyone's list, and action was taken. Thank you so much for your unwavering support."
The commission informed FVRD officials that another site has been secured for the waste, and the property owner and business owners indicated it should take less than 60 days to complete the removal.
"Illegal dumping has become a real issue in our province," Dixon said in her report. "The ALC and Ministry of Environment are issuing Stop Work Orders and fines to property owners who accept fill on their land without the proper authorization."
The removal from Iverson Road actually started last year but then it stopped short after less than 50 truckloads.
That is why some residents like Henderson say they are feeling "cautiously" optimistic with this latest activity.
But the fact is, loaded trucks have been leaving the site, so it's all definitely going in the right direction, Henderson noted:
"As the eternal optimist I think this successful outcome was achieved through the sustained pressure that came from the community, and the media as well, and it has really held them all to account."
Illegal dumping has become a huge problem in B.C., Henderson underlined, echoing the concerns raised by Dixon, and she agreed there's more work to be done.
"But given that we are a small community, I think we are pleased with the efforts and response. Both the ALC and MOE have been meticulous in their process every step of the way.
"So it may seem to have taken forever, but it was all done properly."
