FVRD/Cultus Lake – In her weekly address on local issues, Taryn Dixon, FVRD Area H Electoral Director, updated the property status for 810 Iverson Road.
In 2022, Abbotsford-based Fraser Valley Renewables admitted to dumping illegally on the property. That started a local groundswell of protest which reached the ears of Chilliwack-Kent MLA Kelli Paddon (this is her provincial riding), as well as Ms Dixon.
The Ministry of Environment is not happy with the timetable for the clean up process. The constant concern has been leaching and run off pooling into the ground water. There is an aquifer in the area as well as Cultus Lake Provincial Park and Lindell beach, located close by.
The deadline for cleaning up is May 31.
From Dixon’s statement :
The Ministry of Environment (MoE) conducted an onsite inspection at 810 Iverson and is referring the inspection record for an Administrative Penalty. Fraser Valley Renewables does not hold an Environmental Management Act authorization to discharge into the environment for this site. During an onsite inspection, moderate volumes of leachate were observed discharging to the ground or running off as overland flow.
Leachate examples were collected and analyzed and based on the results and the type of aquifer in our area, it was determined the discharge of leachate to the ground at that site, could be a potential source of contamination for groundwater. The current inspection along with the non- compliance from the 3 previous reports, led to the referral for administrative penalty.
The full report is found here https://nrced.gov.bc.ca/records;autofocus=661eb519f4853e0022e567d2
This property has also been given a remediation order from the Agriculture Land Commission which indicates all the waste is to be removed by May 31, 2024. At this point very few loads have been removed. I do not know what the next steps are if removal does not occur but will continue to inquire.
