The Northvolt site contains at least 50,000 tonnes of contaminated soil, it has been learned The duty. The Quebec government also says it is imposing restrictions to prevent possible work from causing the flow of pollutants from the industrial past of the land, located very close to the Richelieu River, an important source of drinking water for the region.
Straddling the territory of the municipalities of McMasterville and Saint-Basile-le-Grand, the vast land was used in part by Canadian Industries Limited for several decades for the manufacturing of explosives. This industrial past has left tens of thousands of tons of contaminated soil in its wake.
According to information provided by the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP), there is therefore a whole toxic cocktail, which includes petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, such as cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and zinc, and organic contaminants, such as monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The ministry specifies, however, that “most of the land has been rehabilitated to regulatory limit values, and [qu’]it is suitable for industrial and commercial use.” However, it was not possible to obtain details or reports in recent days, since our request was transferred to the Access to Information Directorate.
50,000 tonnes
Another “small part of the land” located in the territory of McMasterville still contains at least 27,500 m3 of contaminated soil, according to information obtained from the MELCCFP, or “approximately 33,000 m3 ”, according to information provided by Northvolt. This would equate to 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes of contaminated soil.
This portion of the site is subject to “restriction notices”, indicates the ministry. This means in particular that Northvolt must “keep the containment intact”, but also “maintain the network of groundwater monitoring wells in place” and “avoid creating preferential groundwater flow paths”.
The question of the migration of contaminants is all the more important as the Richelieu River is located only a few meters from the site, but also as a stream meanders through the land, recalls the general director of the Basin Consultation and Enhancement Committee. of the Richelieu River, Sylvain Lapointe.
Northvolt, however, wants to be reassuring. The contaminated soils found on its land will remain on site, since this area is “sealed” and “it is subject to regular monitoring by the ministry,” according to the company.
Northvolt “plans to initially carry out its work on the already decontaminated portion”, it is specified. The seven billion dollar project is expected to occupy an area equivalent to 318 football fields. And if the multinational “had to [un jour] build on the contaminated area”, it would provide for “complete decontamination of this area, in accordance with the law”.
The MELCCFP says it does not have a cost assessment for decontamination. “The rehabilitation of contaminated land and the associated costs are the responsibility of the land owners,” adds the ministry.
Potable water
Whether the contaminated soils remain in place or are one day removed, Mr. Lapointe calls for the greatest caution. “The Richelieu River is the source of drinking water for tens of thousands of people downstream from the site of the future Northvolt factory,” he emphasizes.
In addition to this question, he also says he is concerned about the fact that the future plant will draw water directly from the Richelieu River, as part of its operations.
What will be the impact on the river? We would like to have more information because, at the moment, there are several questions that are unanswered.
At the time this text was published, the company had not responded to questions from Duty about the volume of water that will be pumped. This water “will be used mainly for cooling the equipment”, according to what Northvolt explains in a press release which summarizes “five key themes” of the project.
“Less than 10% of the water used will be in the manufacturing process. This water will be treated on site and mainly reused in a closed circuit,” explains the company, adding that “the water which will be returned to the river will respect Quebec and Canadian standards.” The company did not tell us the nature of the contaminants with which the process water could be in contact, nor the expected volume of discharges into the river.
“What will be the impact on the river? We would like to have more information because, for the moment, there are several questions that are unanswered,” judges Sylvain Lapointe. According to him, the issues of protection of the Richelieu River, which flows through the heart of several municipalities, deserve to be addressed as part of an environmental assessment involving an examination by the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment.