HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-04-28, Page 28Despite a long and detailed
presentation by Central Huron
Recycling Centre, Morris-Turnberry
decided at their April 19 meeting,
that the company would require a
zoning amendment before it could
start treating and recycling non-
hazardous contaminated soil.
Council had been asked by the
Ministry of the Environment if the
current zoning on the property
would permit the change in the
Certificate of Approval to allow
treatment of the soil contaminated
by hydrocarbons such as oil and gas
spills at filling stations.
But Carol Leeming of the Huron
County Planning Department told
council that the current zoning on
the section of the Morris Road
property permits storage and/or
handling and/or sale of scrap or used
materials, which are non-hazardous
in nature including wood, concrete,
brick, and asphalt pavement. The
planning department argues that
“handling” is distinct from
“treatment” or “processing” and
contaminated soil is not considered
a “scrap or used material”.
Dave Rapson of Central Huron
Recycling attended the meeting to
give council additional information
on his proposal. He said he is
currently allowed to deal with
asphalt paving materials, although
he has done so only once. He
presented evidence that the level of
hydrocarbons in asphalt is 10 times
as high as in the soil he would be
handling now.
Accompanying him were Dennis
and Zachary Owens of Oxy
Teknologies who would be
providing the treatment of the soil.
Dennis Owens is a microbiologist
and chemist originally from Texas
and the company has provided
bioremediation technology to
Amoco, Phillips Petroleum, Texaco,
Chevron and others.
He explained that the process that
would be used at the Brussels-area
facility would use hydrogen
peroxide to treat the soil, the same
chemical used in many households
to disinfect cuts. Soil would be
trucked to the site and deposited
inside a building to be constructed
on the property. Once inside the soil
would be treated with diluted
peroxide and left to sit for 72-96
hours while the peroxide breaks
down the hydrocarbons. The result
is some carbon dioxide and water,
but clean soil that can then be sold,
he said.
Owens said the process is so safe
that it is used for houses and
shopping malls that have
contaminated subsoil problems to
allow people to continue to live in
the house or shop and work in the
malls.
According to Rapson, who said he
planned to construct a building 60
feet wide and 180 feet long in which
the treatment would be done, the
MOE’s approvals branch had
approved the change to his
Certificate of Approval as long as
the zoning on the property would
allow him to process the soil. He
questioned why he would need a
zoning change when he is allowed to
work with asphalt and theoretically
could process asphalt 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. Though he
doesn’t want to work with asphalt,
he said, other companies have
approached him with offers to buy
the site so they could use it for
asphalt recycling.
But Leeming said both the
county’s engineer and its lawyer had
expressed the opinion that a zoning
change would be required.
Council also had a copy of a
petition from 13 neighbours within a
three-kilometre circumference of the
site, opposing the MOE’s changing
the Certificate of Approval, claiming
their property values would be
reduced, there was a possibility of
contaminating wellwater and a
nearby trout stream and there would
be disturbance from a 24 hour,
seven-day-a-week business.
But Rapson claimed the complaint
about the hours of work was based
on a misunderstanding. While the
treatment will be ongoing around
the clock seven days a week as the
peroxide does its job killing the
hydrocarbons, trucks will only be
received in daylight hours.
The proposal found supporters
among councillors.
“I think we’d be foolish not to
help this man to contribute to
Morris-Turnberry,” said Councillor
David Baker.
But Nancy Michie, administrator
clerk-treasurer, pointed out that even
if council went against the advice of
the planning department, when
Rapson applied for a building
permit, the building inspector would
be forced to turn it down because the
zoning doesn’t permit the uses
planned for the building.
Given the circumstances, a motion
was prepared that a zoning
amendment would be required to
allow the treatment of non-
hazardous contaminated soil.
In a recorded vote, Mayor Paul
Gowing, Deputy-Mayor Jason
Breckenridge and Councillors Jamie
Machan, Neil Warwick and John
Smuck supported the motion. Baker
and Councillor Jamie Heffer
opposed it.
Are you seeing this?
A free breakfast is a free breakfast and there were plenty on hand as the Living Water
Christian Fellowship treated the people of Blyth to a free meal on Good Friday at Memorial
Hall. While there was plenty of food flying around, there was also time for some of the finer
pleasures of life, like reading and culture. Here Olivia Decker, left, reads with Elizabeth
Howson. These young ladies were eager to feed their brains despite being off school for the
day. (Vicky Bremner photo)
PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2011.
Weather moves
fundraiser to May
Rezoning requiredfor recycling centre
in Morris-Turnberry
Due to the rough weather and high
winds of April 16, a breakfast to
benefit the families of fallen
Listowel firefighters Kenneth Rea
and Raymond Walter was
postponed.
The firefighters were killed while
fighting a fire earlier this year at a
Listowel business.
The breakfast, which was to take
place at the Old 86 Farmers’ Market
just west of Molesworth was
scheduled to take place rain or shine,
but the high winds were too much
for organizers to handle and they
were forced to postpone.
The new date is Saturday, May 14
and the breakfast will run from 7
a.m. to 1 p.m. All of the particulars
for the event, as reported in the April
14 issue of The Citizen remain the
same, just on a new date.
Organizers Dave and Karen Smith
apologize for the inconvenience. For
more information, call the Smiths at
519-291-4643 or at 519-440-8124.
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen