PHAI cleanup activities around the Viaducts at the Port Hope waterfront have been underway since 2021, with the required excavation safely set back from the railroad infrastructure. Recently during excavation a unique stone structure was unearthed. In keeping with archeological protocols, the work was paused to do additional investigation on the find. The archeological structures are thought to be remnants of drainage infrastructure or water storage for the old railway roundhouse that was situated beneath the Canada Pacific (CP) rail viaduct and demolished around the same time the CP rail was built. These buried stone structures were likely constructed in the mid-to-late 1800s.
As part of CNL requirements, a Stage 2 Archaeological report is being developed to fully document and evaluate the buried stone structures. The report will also document any potential impact to the stone structures from PHAI activities.
Many sites at the waterfront including the areas around the viaducts are marsh lands and include low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) as a result of by-products from the processing of radium by Eldorado Nuclear Ltd.
The excavation and removal of the LLRW in the viaduct area remains on target for completion this year. To date, 38,000 metric tonnes of LLRW have been transported to the Port Hope Long Term Waste Management Facility for safe storage.
CNL remains committed to the environmental cleanup of Port Hope’s waterfront.
