Port Granby: Leaking radioactive hazardous waste site

Radioactive Waste

Aug 27

Written By Posted by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper

Port Granby: Leaking radioactive hazardous waste site is a compilation of sampling and inspection results from official government sources and independent studies of the Port Granby hazardous waste facility. It draws attention to the highly toxic liquids that are leaking directly into Lake Ontario from the site, as well as the facility's structural instability. This report also documents the historic awareness on the part of the site operators and regulators of these problems.

The Port Granby waste "management" facility

This short backgrounder and map introduces you to the Port Granby site, Eldorado Resources Ltd., and the current operators, CAMECO.

The waste management facility is unstable

Here we document more than 20 years' of AECB concerns regarding Port Granby's stability, with an emphasis on the threat of erosion.

The waste management facility is discharging into Lake Ontario

While the movement of solid radioactive waste from the site into Lake Ontario is a potential threat, liquid wastes are constantly entering Lake Ontario. Runoff, intentionally discharged contaminated water, and seeps have been documented since at least 1988.

The discharges are toxic

Four years' of monitoring by Mark Mattson and the Sierra Legal Defense Fund prove that the liquids being discharged from the Port Granby site are highly toxic.

Conclusion

Twenty-one years after the original decommissioning order, Port Granby is still operational . . .

Appendix A: Guide to contaminants found at the site

References

A complete list of our sources for this report, including web resources for more information on contaminants.

All photos in this report taken by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper July/August 2001, unless otherwise noted.

The Port Granby waste "management" facility

The Port Granby "waste management facility" is an eighteen-hectare federally licensed site lying along the shoreline of Lake Ontario, roughly 15 kilometres west of Port Hope, Ontario. The site was opened in 1955 by Eldorado Resources Ltd., a federal Crown Corporation, as a storage facility for wastes from Eldorado's uranium refinery operations in Port Hope, Ontario. In April 1988, the Port Granby site was closed to new waste.1 In August 1988, Eldorado Nuclear Limited merged with the Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation to form the Canadian Mining and Energy Corporation (CAMECO), one of the world's largest uranium mining and refining companies. CAMECO, which is partly owned by the Saskatchewan government, has maintained the site since 1988.

The waste management facility is unstable

The Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) was the federal nuclear regulator responsible for licensing the Port Granby site until it was superceded by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in May 2000.

Concerns about the site's stability were expressed as far back as 1977 when active erosion and slumping were noted along the face of the shoreline bluffs. 2 Three years later, the AECB ordered the decommissioning of the Port Granby waste management facility due to "AECB staff concerns regarding the stability of the bluffs and slopes." That order has been in abeyance since 1986, however, "in order to allow all of the concerned parties to develop appropriate long-term storage or disposal options for the wastes involved." 3 Since no volunteer community could be found to host such a facility, the Port Granby site is now being assessed for redesign as a permanent facility.

While improvements to the Port Granby waste management facility have been made since it was closed to new waste in 1988 (including the construction of a water collection and treatment system), AECB inspection reports continue to document weaknesses in the site; namely, surface creep and erosion.

Surface creep ? the movement of the top soil layer ? is regularly noted in the East Gorge area, towards the holding pond. Rapid or dramatic movement of soil down the slope could potentially uncover waste that was crudely dumped in the site's early days. Tension cracks, which are evidence of surface creep, can be found in the East Gorge area and along the bluffs outside the fence line, along the bluffs between the buried waste and Lake Ontario. Water levels in the piezometer wells, which are used to monitor the level of groundwater, are frequently reported as "elevated." This indicates an increased risk of surface creep, as saturated top soil is more likely to shift and reveal buried waste. 4

Erosion of the bluffs overlooking Lake Ontario has been one of the AECB's chief concerns regarding the Port Granby site and, as noted above, one of the main reasons for the 1980 decommissioning order. In 1987, the Siting Process Task Force again expressed concern that "long-term erosion of the bluffs could expose the wastes." 5

AECB inspection reports routinely document erosion of the bluff, beach, and toe (the base of the bluff) in and around the Port Granby site.

Serious erosion was noted in the AECB's 1998 Compliance and Geotechnical Report: "The beach eroded away to a depth of between 0.5 and 1 meter. The buried pipe draining the stabilized bluff was uncovered. The bluff experienced a great deal of toe erosion, including the base of the bluff stabilization demonstration project." 6

Should erosion occur within 15 metres of the fence surrounding the site, CAMECO must provide the CNSC with an action plan to stabilize the waste. The CNSC estimates that it will be at least 30 years before that trigger point is seriously threatened and the Port Granby wastes may be uncovered 7, though that trigger point was reached along a western portion of the site three years ago.8

The waste management facility is discharging into Lake Ontario

While the site's structural instability raises risk of solid radioactive waste entering the Lake in the future, liquid radioactive wastes are constantly entering the Lake. These wastes leave the Port Granby site in the form of intentionally discharged treated effluent and as "fugitive" seeps.

Surface runoff and groundwater escaping the site

In its 1988 backgrounder, the AECB stated that, "Of the water that does enter the burial area, virtually all of the surface runoff and about 80 percent of the ground water is collected in two collection ponds. The remainder emerges as seepage along the bluffs and into the lake, or evaporates. The collected water is pumped to a treatment plant for the removal of radium and arsenic, and for adjustment of the acidity." Treated effluent is then released into the lake.9

This means that about 20% of the water passing through the waste burial area leaves the site untreated.

Nine years later, Sophia Wang authored a Master thesis in which she noted that, while collection and treatment facilities do exist on-site, approximately 10% of groundwater and 25% of surface runoff still left the site untreated and entered Lake Ontario directly.10

Wang also identifies one area in particular, "which may be of potential environmental concern." The point of discharge area, she says, contains elevated levels of arsenic, is located outside the fenced borders of the facility, [and] is accessible to the public.11

Overflowing water-collection ponds

The water-collection ponds located within the Port Granby site collect contaminated water from the site before it is treated and discharged.

"During the winter-spring period of 1993, there were three overflow events [from the East Gorge]." The same pond also overflowed several times over a two-day period during the winter-spring of 1994.12

Documented liquid releases

In 1997, the International Joint Commission's Nuclear Task Force released an Inventory of Radionuclides for the Great Lakes. It included the following table of radium and uranium released from the Port Granby site, based on CAMECO annual reports submitted to the AECB. 13

Table A: Port Granby low-level waste management facility liquid releases, 1983-1995

Year

Annual Flow

(10

Radium

Uranium

Avg. Conc.

(Bq/L)

Annual Loading

(10

Bq)

Avg. Conc.

(Mg/L)

Annual Loading

(kg)

1983

90.2

0.11

9.92

0.63

56.8

1984

81.6

0.12

9.79

0.58

47.3

1985

89.6

0.07

6.27

0.74

66.3

1986

0.07

5.32

0.74

58.2

1987

0.07

5.81

0.81

67.2

1988

64.5

0.068

4.39

0.67

43.2

1989

65.5

0.1

6.55

0.7

45.9

1990

0.1

7.1

0.74

52.5

1991

1992

71.6

0.177

12.67

1.4

100.2

1993

101.3

0.11

11.14

1.3

131.7

1994

0.128

9.22

1995

64.5

0.11

7.1

64.5

Notes:

Source of Data: CAMECO annual reports submitted to AECB.

NA: not available.

The discharges are toxic

According to reports by the AECB, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Sophia Wang, and investigations by Mark Mattson and the Sierra Legal Defense Fund, the liquids being discharged or seeping from the Port Granby waste management facility are toxic.

The AECB's 1993 annual report for the Port Granby site states that, in the summer of 1992, "there were 4 monthly periods . . . when the total interceptor discharge exceeded the licence limit for radium. The licence limit is 0.37 Bq/L for a monthly arithmetic mean. The observed concentrations varied from 0.380 to 0.650 Bq/L."14

The 1994 MOE Waste Water Discharge Report noted that the Port Granby facility "exceeded the guidelines for monthly average arsenic concentrations eleven times and for ammonia once."15

According to Wang's 1997 paper, the arsenic levels in the Port Granby soils located below the discharge point range up to 267 mg/kg16 ? considerably greater than the concentration of arsenic found in the control soil samples. The levels are also much higher than the "common normal" range of arsenic in soils, which is 1 - 40 mg/kg.17 Wang also noted elevated levels of uranium concentration in soils and effluent escaping the Port Granby facility.18

Between 1997 and 2000, Mark Mattson and the Sierra Legal Defence Fund (SLDF) also took a series of samples. These investigations identified a variety of seeps and toxic discharges leaking from the Port Granby facility into Lake Ontario.

The treated effluent

Mattson/SLDF investigators took a sample of the treated effluent to Beak Laboratory on February 15 and February 23, 2000. On both occasions, one group of test organisms (Daphnia magna) was placed in a 100% concentration of the sample while a second group was placed in a control of clean water for a period of 48 hours. The sample gathered on 15/02/00 killed 63% of the Daphnia, while the sample gathered on 23/02/00 killed 97% of the Daphnia.

Table B: Mattson/SLDF toxicity test results from treated effluent, 2000

Date

15/02/00

23/02/00

Mean % mortality

in 100% samples

Table C: Mattson/SLDF treated effluent sample results, 1997-2000

Contaminants

Standards and Regulations

Results

mg/l

OPWQO*

(mg/l)

CWQG

PEL**

(mg/l)

14/12/97

12/05/98

15/02/00

06/03/00

05/05/00

Arsenic

0.005

1.5

0.83

1.6

0.64

0.71

1.1

Cadmium

0.00002

0.0066

0.001

0.0073

0.0005

Uranium

0.005

0.2-1.01

2.2

0.22

2.7

1.4

2.8

2.1

Zinc

0.02

0.03

0.019

0.96

0.041

0.029

0.03

Notes

*: Ontario Provincial Water Quality Objectives

**: Canadian Water Quality Guidelines, Probable Effect Level

Shaded areas indicate samples exceeding standards and regulations.

The untreated seeps

Leaks at the Port Granby site

In addition to the treated effluent being discharged from the Port Granby facility, a series of untreated seeps are emerging along the bank of the site and entering directly into Lake Ontario. Sampling results from Mattson and SLDF investigations indicate elevated levels of aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, uranium, and zinc.

Table D: Mattson/SLDF untreated seep sample results, 1998-2000

Contaminants

Standards and Regulations

Results

OPWQO*

(mg/l)

CWQG

PEL**

(mg/l)

12/05/98

23/02/00

05/05/00

Aluminum

0.075

0.005 - 0.1

2.9

0.026

1.3

Arsenic

0.005

1.1

0.45

0.71

1.3

Cadmium

0.000017

0.011

0.00028

0.016

0.0014

Lead

0.001 - 0.007

0.0036

0.005

0.03

Uranium

0.005

0.2-1.01

1.8

(3600 times

OPWQO)

0.032

(6 times

OPWQO)

2.8

(5600

times OPWQO)

1.7

(3400 times

OPWQO)

0.57

(114 times

OPWQO)

Zinc

0.02

0.03

0.039

0.037

0.23

Notes

*: Ontario Provincial Water Quality Objectives

**: Canadian Water Quality Guidelines, Probable Effect Level

-: no data available

<: concentration is less than Minimum Detectable Level (MDL)

Shaded areas indicate samples exceeding standards and regulations.

Conclusion

For decades, there has been talk of stabilizing the Port Granby hazardous waste dump.

A decommissioning order was given by the AECB in 1980, but that order is now in abeyance. The Honourable Brian Mulroney, then Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition, promised in a letter dated August 21, 1984 that "All such waste should be removed from major populated areas and kept away from any major water resources such as Lake Ontario." 19 This has not yet been done.

Eighteen years after the decomissioning was first ordered, the AECB again stated that it "does not consider the present waste storage conditions at Port Granby . . . to be acceptable in the long term,"20 but that no decomissioning plan for the site is being reviewed.21 AECB inspection reports and independent monitoring confirm that the site is unstable, that it is leaking regularly into Lake Ontario, and that those discharges are highly contaminated.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, The Municipality of Clarington, and CAMECO are now looking at converting the temporary Port Granby site into a long-term waste management facility.

For more information, please contact the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper:

245 Queen's Quay West

Toronto, Ontario M5J 2K9

Tel: 416.861.1237

E-mail: news@waterkeeper.ca

appendix

A: Guide to contaminants found at the Port Granby site

Arsenic

Arsenic is an element found in the earth's crust. It is released into the environment naturally (i.e., during forest fires, volcanoes, and rock weathering) and by human activities (i.e., during mining and fossil fuel ? especially coal ? burning).

Eating or drinking substances containing high levels of arsenic can lead to death. Breathing air heavily tainted with arsenic can cause throat and lung irritation. Possible results of exposure to lower levels of arsenic include nausea and vomiting, damage to blood vessels, reduction in red and white blood cell production, irregular heart rhythm, darkening of skin and the appearance of "warts" on the body. Studies link arsenic to lung, skin, bladder, liver, kidney, and prostate cancer. The World Health Organization has identified arsenic as a human carcinogen.

The Canadian government is still in the process of developing regulations regarding environmental exposure to arsenic. Arsenic is regulated under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, the Hazardous Products Act, the Food and Drug Act, the Fisheries Act, and the Pest Control Products Act.

Cadmium

Discovered as an element in 1817, cadmium did not enter widespread industrial use until about 50 years ago. It is commonly used in electroplating, galvanizing, as a colour pigment for paints and plastics, and in batteries. Cadmium is also a by-product of zinc and lead mining and smelting.

Cadmium binds strongly to soil particles. It may also dissolve in water. Cadmium does not break down in the environment, but can change forms. It stays in the body a very long time and can build up from many years of exposure to low levels.

Breathing high levels of cadmium severely damages the lungs and may lead to death. Eating food or drinking water with very high levels severely irritates the stomach, which can lead to vomiting and/or diarrhea. Long-term exposure to lower levels of cadmium in air, food, or drinking water leads to a buildup of cadmium in the kidneys, possible kidney disease, lung damage, and fragile bones.

Lead

Lead is a naturally occurring metal found in small concentrations in the earth's crust and in all parts of our environment. Much of the lead in the biosphere comes from human activities including burning fossil fuels, mining, and manufacturing. When lead is released into the air, it may travel long distances before settling to the ground; once it falls, it will adhere to soil particles.

Lead can affect almost every organ and system in the human body ? the central nervous system is the most sensitive, particularly in children. Lead also damages kidneys, the reproductive system, the memory, and it can cause anemia and weakness in fingers, wrists, or ankles.

Radium

Radium is a naturally radioactive metal that is formed when uranium and thorium break down in the environment.

Radium decays into a long series of "daughters,"during which time alpha, beta, and gamma radiation are released. All the "daughters" are radioactive except the last, which is a form of lead. (More information about radon daughters is available at http://ccnr.org/radon_chart.html).

Radium has been used as a radiation source for treating cancer, in radiography of metals, and combined with other metals as a neutron source for research and radiation instrument calibration. Radium has been shown to cause effects on the blood (anemia) and eyes (cataracts). It has also been shown to affect the teeth, causing an increase in broken teeth and cavities. Radium, like all other radioactive materials, is also a recognized human carcinogen.

Uranium

Uranium is a radioactive substance present in low concentrations throughout the environment (in earth, air, water, etc.). Large deposits are mined and processed for use in nuclear power generation and the production of nuclear weapons. Uranium mining, milling, and refining all leave behind fine, sand-like "tailings." These tailings contain both non-radioactive chemicals such as arsenic and lead, and radioactive materials such as radium and "radon daughters." All radioactive materials are known human carcinogens and mutagens.

Wherever uranium is, it will be there for an extremely long time. The half-life of uranium is the time it takes for half a given type of uranium to emit its radiation and become another material (which in turn is also radioactive). The two most common forms ("isotopes") of uranium have half-lives of billions of years.

In both animals and humans, short-term exposure to inhaled uranium has resulted in kidney damage. Long-term exposure can cause respiratory damage, including chronic lung disease.

Studies suggest that uranium exposure lowers the ratio of males to females born to human mothers. Fetal death, fewer offspring and problems relating to the testes in male offspring have been observed following the ingestion of uranium by animals.

References

Atomic Energy Control Board. April 1988. Backgrounder: Port Granby, Waste Management Facility.

_______. January 1990. Port Hope, Area Wastes. Memorandum to AECB members from the Director General, Directorate of Fuel Cycle and Materials Regulation. Siting Task Force.

_______. May 1993. Annual report for the Port Granby and Welcome Waste Management Facilities.

_______. November 1995. Annual report for the Port Granby and Welcome Waste Management Facilities.

_______. April 29, 1997. Compliance and Geotechnical Inspection Report.

_______. December 23, 1997. AECB position on decommissioning orders for the Welcome, Port Granby, and Port Hope sites. A letter from R.E. Stenson to Paul Tweedie.

_______. February 24, 1988. AECB position on the decommissioning of the Port Granby and Welcome sites. A letter from Richard Ferch to Paul Tweedie.

_______. May 5, 1998. Compliance and Geotechnical Inspection Report.

_______. August 24, 1988. Nuclear Liability Act: Board Orders 1/NLA/80 and 2/NLA/80 - Amendments CAMECO/Eldorado. Memorandum to AECB members from R.W. Blackburn, Director, Planning and Administration Branch.

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. Research Company Head Office. August 1987. Inventory of Waste Quantities. A report to the Siting Process Task Force on low-level radioactive waste disposal. Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office.

James F. MacLaren Limited, Hydrology Consultants Limited. May 1977. Environmental Impact Assessment: The Port Granby Project. Prepared for Eldorado Nuclear Limited.

Klaassen, Curtis D., 1996, Casarett & Doull's Toxicology: The basic science of poisons. Fifth Edition.

Ministry of the Environment. December 1996. 1994 Waste Water Discharge Report. Queen's Printer.

Nuclear Task Force. December 1997. Inventory of Radionuclides for the Great Lakes. International Joint Commission.

Siting Task Force. August 1997. Report on Low-Level Radioactive Waste.

Stenson, Ron. Project Officer/ Assessment Specialist Wastes and Impacts Division, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. August 17, 2001. Telephone interview.

Wang, Sophia. 1997. Distribution and Plant Uptake of Arsenic and Uranium at Two Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Sites. Unpublished Master thesis, University of Toronto.

Internet Resources

Arsenic:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts2.html

http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/epb/envfacts/arsenic.html

Cadmium:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts5.html

Lead:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts13.html

Radium:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts144.html

http://ccnr.org/radon_chart.html

Uranium: