I N S I D E : News from TNRD Area “I”. Page 10
Journal ASHCROFT t CACHE CREEK
Volume 119 No 28 PM # 400121123
The
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Serving Clinton, Spences Bridge, Lytton, Savona, Walhachin and surrounding areas Since 1895
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Cache Creek landfill fly ash assessment: “minimal risk”
STILL HANGING ON: In 1910 faulty construction of the water flume supplying Walhachin made it too Photo by Barbara Roden leaky to carry all the water needed, but sections still cling to the hillside.
Travelling Funmobile aims to “bring back play” The Bring Back Play Funmobile tour is on the road again and visiting area communities in the next two weeks. Brought to you by ParticipACTION and Healthy Families BC, the Funmobile tour brings a van full of games, activities, and giveaways to parks, events, and schools in B.C. from now through August 2014. The free event, open to all children and their parents, caregivers, or guardians, will be at the Heritage Park on Railway Ave. in Ashcroft on Wed., July 16 from 3:00–5:30 pm. On Thurs., July 17 it will be at the Cache Creek Recreation Park from 10:00–11:30 am; at
the Bonaparte Indian Band from 1:00– 3:00 pm; and at the Municipal Park on Dewdney Rd. in Clinton from 4:30– 5:30 pm. On Mon., July 21 the Funmobile will be at Lytton Elementary School from 10:30 am–1:00 pm. Children are busier than ever with schoolwork and scheduled activities. The world is often perceived to be more dangerous than in the past, and many kids aren’t allowed to roam as freely as they once did. Extremely hot or cold weather can keep many children indoors, where they face the lure of video games, the Internet, television, and smartphones. What was once a nat-
ural activity—simply going outside and playing—is increasingly foreign to many children. The aim of the Bring Back Play Funmobile is to help reverse the decline of play by encouraging children to get out, move around, and rediscover the joy of playing, while reinforcing the importance of play in a child’s life. At each stop the Funmobile will remind kids and their parents—through hula hoops, skipping ropes, balls, chalk, and more—how fun it is to play. For more information, visit the ParticipACTION website at www.participaction.com.
Hurry in for all of our
JULY FLYER SPECIALS! We have been omitted in error from the store listings on the new Home Hardware July Flyer. The Flyer is valid July 9 - 19, 2014.
Clinton Home Building Centre
building centre
250-459-2544 Fax: 250-459-2596
The Cache Creek Landfill is back in compliance with its Operational Certificate, two years after it was discovered that 1,800 tonnes of possibly toxic fly ash had been deposited at the site. The landfill has accepted fly ash since 2000, but only after it has been tested to ensure that the product has been suitably treated to remove any potential contamination. Shipments of fly ash deposited at the landfill in July and August 2012 tested positive for high amounts of cadmium, and were subsequently excavated and taken to a hazardous waste facility. A letter from the provincial Ministry of Environment dated Jue 27, 2014 confirms that the advisory letter of non-compliance issued by the Ministry will be withdrawn as requested by the Village of Cache Creek and Wastech. An independent technical assessment of the treatment and disposal of fly ash was carried out, with public meetings in Cache Creek and Ashcroft in April of this year seeking community and First Nations input. The assessment also received written comments from the Village of Cache Creek, Wastech, and Metro Vancouver. The cumulative evidence reviewed by the independent experts indicates that it is very unlikely that leachable cadmium in the fly ash deposited in summer 2012 exceeded the hazardous waste regulation. The letter states that the landfill’s impervious liner and leachate collection system ensure that the fly ash is fully contained and the chemical constituents are not able to leach from the site. Moreover, the leachate collection system has never produced any leachate. As a result, “the fly ash monofill poses minimal risk to human health or the environment. As long as the integrity of the monofill is maintained, including post closure, the absence of a pathway of exposure will continue to eliminate any risk. “Based on the extremely low probability that hazardous waste was deposited, coupled with the safety provided by the fly ash being encapsulated in the monofill with no means of exposure to the public and environment, additional investigation, sampling and analyses of the fly ash monofill is not required by MOE to further characterize the material.”
Barbara Roden