The 2023 construction season has kicked off with work on additional privately owned properties being cleaned up as part of the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI). A total of 78 properties are scheduled to start the cleanup of historic low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) this year.
“Getting started on new properties is meaningful both to the community and property owners who have been waiting a long time,” said Mark Hughey, CNL General Manager of the PHAI. “We appreciate the patience from our Port Hope property owners, as the testing and cleanup is not a quick process,” Hughey added.
While the actual cleanup of residential properties began in 2018, Port Hope properties have been part of PHAI activities since 2012 starting with radon monitoring. To date, over 5,000 Port Hope properties have participated in this process.
The testing is key to determining the presence or absence of waste on the property. If LLRW is found, additional testing may be needed to confirm the volume of waste. The property would then move into the design phase, where engineered plans for a cleanup is presented followed by a Remediation and Restoration Agreement. This agreement provides the owner with a detailed description of the planned cleanup work for their property. Property owners participate in the design process by providing feedback to CNL that is included in the signed Remediation and Restoration Agreement.
Part of the cleanup process involves the safe transportation of waste to the long-term waste management facility, along approved transportation routes where it is safely contained in an above-round engineered mound and managed for years to come.
The LLRW in the Port Hope community is the result of refining and processing activities of Eldorado Nuclear Limited, from the 1930s to the 1980s. The PHAI represents a community-requested environmental solution to a long-standing environmental issue that will benefit the Port Hope community for generations to come.
For more information on the cleanup or to find out about your property, please connect with us at 905.885.0291 or [email protected]
