Soil removed from the grounds of the dismantled tent city site on Victoria's courthouse lawn is being remediated at a site in the Highlands.
An estimated 120 dump truck loads of soil, more than 2,000 tonnes, was removed and transported to the West Shore, where it is being treated at Tervita Corporation's Highwest facility. The cost of the remediation is estimated to be approximately $350,000.
The Ministry of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services contracted Pinchin Ltd., one of Canada’s largest environmental, engineering, health and safety consulting firms to oversee the work. Pinchin subcontracted Tervita to appropriately remove and dispose of the contaminated soil.
Tervita is certified by the Ministry of Environment and satisfies requirements from both the Capital Regional District and the province.
Soil samples from the site revealed the presence of residual contaminants, including lead, gasoline, diesel and trace amounts of methamphetamine after the homeless camp was dismantled. Remediation will remove these contaminants from the soil. Work began last month to transform the courthouse lawn into a new playground area.
katie@goldstreamgazette.com