MECP – GFL Landfill gets Air Monitor for Odours

Posted on by Councillor Brad Clark

On Friday morning August 18th, 2023, I shared the news with Hamilton City Council and the public that the Public Health Committee request to the MECP to place an air monitor to test the odours has been approved. Going into the meeting city staff advised me of this good news.

The MECP has agreed to an air monitor to check the composition of the the GFL landfill odours. Residents in Upper Stoney Creek have been suffering with horrific odours virtually 24/7 seven days a week all summer. I stressed that the psycho-social impacts on residents has been immeasurable. They have been worried about the impact on their family’s health, on their children playing outside. I have even heard from parents about their kids playing soccer at the Heritage Green Sports Park. They fear that with all the running kids breath much deeper… what is the impact? I have heard that residents have not been sleeping due to anxiety and worry which in itself is causing additional stress.

We have been advocating for the residents since spring when the odours first appeared. I am grateful for the assistance of the Mayor and City Manager. While I have been sharing the ongoing complaints with the local district office, the Mayor has been speaking directly to David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. The City Manager has been speaking with the Deputy Minister, MECP. This collaborative effort has caused the MECP to be seized with finding solutions to end the odours.

When I first reached out to the local MECP office, I found the responses to me and my office to be rather flippant and dismissive. However, once the MECP was finally engaged on the matter, it is fair to say that they have been truly seized with the issue. The MECP local District Office has taken some strong initiatives to address this issue. They ordered the leachate pond to be drained, scrubbed and flushed. They ordered that the leachate cannot be pumped into the sewers, rather it had to be trucked away. They also ordered that the cell construction be ceased until further notice. They ordered an air monitor to assess the composition of the odours. Finally MECP has ordered the use of an odour neutralizing mist that has had some success in other facilities and jurisdictions. To be fair, it should be noted that GFL and their landfill staff have been fully co-operative with the Ministry in every attempt to stop these odours.

Collectively, Green for Life Inc., the Minister, Deputy Minister, and the local district office must find a permanent solutions. No resident should have to endure these odours for one day never mind the entire summer.

Update GFL Landfill Odours

Posted on by Councillor Brad Clark

My Office has been working with the Mayor’s Office, City Manager’s Office to collaboratively share our concerns, on behalf of thousands of residents, about these ongoing odour issue to the MECP Local District Office, and the Minister’s. We have continued to stress that this is 100% unacceptable. Nobody should have to endure these odours for any period of time, let alone an entire summer.

We continue to rely on residents to file complaints during normal business hours with the local district office at 905 521-7650, after hours GFL Toll Free 1 800 567-7455 or MECP Spill Line Toll-free: 1-800-268-6060

Here is the most recent update from the MECP.

1. Ministry staff continue to visit the site regularly to assess odours.

2. On August 1, 2023, the City of Hamilton notified the ministry that they have been in discussions with GFL around ceasing any discharge of leachate to the sanitary sewer that could cause odours from downstream manholes in accordance with their sewer use by-law.

3. GFL has advised that they remain in discussion with the City of Hamilton about other potential leachate disposal options such as using tanker trucks to haul it offsite for disposal at the wastewater treatment facility.

4. On August 2, 2023, ministry environmental officers attended the GFL landfill site and confirmed offsite odours in the residential area North of the facility. During the assessment of the site and operations, the officer identified exposed leachate in the active landfill cell which was identified as a likely contributing source of the offsite odours.

5. With the increased precipitation, and GFL unable to dispose of leachate through the normal process of treatment and discharge to the sanitary sewer, it is believed excess leachate has accumulated in the landfill and is contributing to the offsite odours.

6. On August 2, 2023, the ministry required GFL to submit a detailed action plan to the Hamilton District Office by August 3, 2023. The action plan is to include at a minimum:

7. The strategy to deal with the odours from currently exposed leachate at the site;

8. A plan to remove and dispose of leachate from the landfill to reduce leachate levels; and

9. A plan for continuous odour monitoring on-site and in nearby residential areas so that immediate actions can be taken if odours are detected offsite.

10. GFL submitted the action plan end of day, August 3, 2023.

11. The plan is under review to determine if it addresses the ministry’s request.

12. GFL informed the ministry that they are finalizing a Community

Communications Plan to keep the local community informed of actions implemented to address their concerns. On August 4, they shared the attached update with the Community Liaison Committee.

13. The ministry’s environment officers will continue to respond to complaints, assess any odour impacts and follow up with the company to ensure that they are taking all possible steps to minimize odour impacts.

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What Stinks in Upper Stoney Creek?

Posted on by Councillor Brad Clark

I have been receiving several complaints about a nasty odours in Upper Stoney Creek.

Last term, the odour was coming from sewer gas emanating from the trunk sewer under Centennial Parkway. To correct this problem, the city installed large carbon scrubbers at the candy cane vents which has solved the problem to date… knock on wood.

In the spring, it was a failure of mechanical equipment at the GFL landfill leachate pond. The strong sulphur like odour, smelled like rotten eggs, was corrected with maintenance work done on the hydrogen peroxide injectors and aerator pumps. Problem solved.

The more prevalent odour is now coming from the landfill itself. GFL is constructing the last few cells in the landfill. They moved some waste materials to the top of the landfill to make way for the contractors.

I am asking local residents to complete the attached survey to help me understand the impacts on your family.

https://us17.list-manage.com/survey?u=0fc8a00790726a03e62133ea5&id=c8c820c75f&attribution=false