Public Comment Period on Intent to Make a Determination
Source Control Remediation - 8 Wing Trenton, ON

August 1, 2025 — The Department of National Defence must decide whether the proposed project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this decision, the Department of National Defence is inviting comments from the public on the project and its potential effects on the environment. All comments received will be considered public. For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.

Written comments must be submitted by August 20, 2025 to:
Pamela Cushing, Senior Project Manager
Mailing Address:  101 Colonel By Dr
Ottawa ON K1A 0K2
E-mail:  pamela.cushing@forces.gc.ca

The Proposed Project

The Department of National Defence (DND) is proposing a project. The proposed Project is located in the eastern portion of the Canadian Forces Detachment (CFD) Mountain View (herein referred to as the Property) in Ameliasburgh, Ontario, within the Prince Edward County. The DND is undertaking remedial action to remove/reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), lead, petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and volatile organic carbon (VOC) impacted soil at four (4) locations or work zones within the Project Area; namely the former Fire Fighting Training Area (FFTA) and associated abandoned septic system utility trench, former Fire Hall, former Skeet Range, and the Inner Landfill, to improve on-Property soil and groundwater quality and to subsequently mitigate the extent of off-Property migration of impacted groundwater to neighbouring properties. The impacted soil from the FFTA, Fire Hall, and Skeet Range will be hauled off-Property to an approved waste facility and impacted soil from the Inner Landfill will be capped and vegetated to reduce the risk of contact with on-Property receptors.

Below is a summary of Project activities at each of the four (4) work zones.

FFTA

• Source removal of the upper 1.0 m of PFAS impacted shallow soils with various contaminants including PFAS concentrations that could pose a health risk to Site users.
• Reduce (by removal) the amount of impacted soil in the abandoned utility trench which acts as a preferential pathway to neighbouring properties.
• Haul impacted waste to an approved waste facility that will accept PFAS-impacted soils.
• Backfill the excavation with owner supplied fill to match with existing grades and drainage features.
• Utility trenches adjacent to the FFTA will be backfilled with a mixture of adsorption media to adsorb PFAS in groundwater flowing through the trenches.

Fire Hall

• Source removal of the upper 1.0 m of PFAS impacted shallow soils with total PFAS concentrations that could pose a health risk to Site users.
• Haul impacted waste to an approved waste facility that will accept PFAS-impacted soils.
• Backfill the excavation with owner supplied fill to match with existing grades and drainage features.

Skeet Range

• Removal of lead (Pb) and PAH impacted surface soils exceeding Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) Tier 2 Soil Quality Guidelines (SQG) for human health for industrial land use.
• Haul impacted waste to an approved waste facility that will accept Pb and PAH impacted soils.
• Replace excavated soil with owner supplied fill to match with existing grade and drainage features.

Inner Landfill

• The Inner Landfill will be capped to reduce the health risk to any on-Property receptors or users.
• Two (2) aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) and two (2) crushed drums will also be removed from the Inner Landfill area to reduce potential impacts.
  • Soil from this general area will be removed and hauled off-Property to an approved waste management facility, and the excavation will be backfilled with owner supplied fill.
  • Confirmatory soil samples will be collected and analyzed for concentrations of petroleum-derived hydrocarbons (PHCs), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX), PAH and metals.

The following provides a summary of Project activities or Project Components throughout the Project lifecycle:

1. Site Preparation
   Site preparation will include vegetation removal (if required), the marking out of areas to be excavated, and the preparation and construction of temporary stockpiling locations to mitigate any leaching, sedimentation or erosion issues. Haul routes, truck loading areas and turn-around locations will be determined, cleared and marked up for haul drivers. Decontamination stations will be prepared for the decontamination of any tools and equipment being used in the impacted areas to prevent cross-contamination throughout the Project Area.
2. Remedial Excavation - Source Control
   Remedial and source control activities will include the excavation of impacted soils from the FFTA, utility trench and former Fire Hall. Excavated soils will be hauled to an approved off-Property waste facility. Lead impacted soils from the former Skeet Range will be excavated and hauled to an approved off-Property waste facility. Excavations will be backfilled with owner supplied fill. Associated utilities and civil works are expected to include electrical, water and sanitary management.
3. Construction – Cap & Cover
   Cap and cover activities will include the importation and placement of clean low-permeable soil or High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) liner with protective soil over the pre-contoured mound, and seeding of the engineered cap. A layer of clean topsoil will then be placed on top of the compacted cap to allow for vegetative seeding.
4. Construction – Permeable Adsorption Zone (PAZ)
   A PAZ will be created within the abandoned sanitary trench adjacent to the FFTA which is cut into the bedrock, and which act as a preferential pathway for the migration of PFAS impacted groundwater. Existing utilities within the trenches will be temporarily decommissioned or re-routed. Impacted fill within the trenches will be hauled to an approved off-Property waste facility that will accept PFAS impacted waste. Utilities will be reinstated, and the trenches will be backfilled with a mixture of an adsorptive media and sand to create the PAZ for the adsorption of PFAS from groundwater flowing through the trench.
5. Site Restoration
   Restoration is expected to consist of reinstating and restoring all areas disturbed by the construction (e.g., final contouring and planting and landscaping to restabilize exposed soils). This phase can be implemented in tandem with the Construction – Cap & Cover phase.