Creosote Cleanup

This summer, eight years after it was discovered, creosote was finally removed from the bottom and banks of a section of Junction Creek.

The oily substance was discovered by volunteers who were cleaning up garbage in the Copper Street area in 1999. Junction Creek committee members informed the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MoE).
Creosote, used as a wood preservative on railway ties, telephone poles and the like, is made up of a large number of chemical compounds and is classified by Health Canada as a probable carcinogen.

After extensive study and numerous delays, the three parties who are legally responsible for the property were ordered by the MoE to hire contractors to plan and undertake a clean up. The City of Greater Sudbury, Domtar Inc. and Canadian Pacific Railway are sharing the clean up cost, estimated at $3 million.

The clean up was expensive because normal creek flow had to be temporarily rerouted so that the creek bed could be excavated, removing several feet of material. The material was then dewatered, tested and transported to an appropriate landfill, depending on the level of contamination found.

A number of Junction Creek committee members joined members of the media in late August to tour the cleanup site. At the time, the work was a bit ahead of schedule. An extremely heavy rainfall a few days later set the project back about 10 days, because temporary dams built to allow the cleanup to proceed were breached. However, the cleanup proceeded and restoration of the adjacent banks is expected to be completed in 2008 and a walking trail will be built along the banks of the creek in the area.

Water is pumped out and diverted to a section outside the area to be cleaned up. A temporary dam (not shown) keeps the water from re-entering the cleanup area.

Affected area is excavated down to the layer of heavy clay in the creek bed. The excavated material is dewatered and tested for contamination and disposed of accordingly. (At the Sudbury landfill or at a special site for highly contaminated waste, in Sarnia, Ontario).

The area is being backfilled (Fall 2007). In 2008, the creek will be restored to as natural a state as possible. Vegetation will be planted along the banks. Pools (deep, calm areas that act as resting and wintering sites for fish) and riffles (shallow, fast moving areas that oxygenate the water; rich in insects for fish to feed on) will be created. A service road built for the cleanup project will be converted into a walking trail.