Toronto Port Lands Community Based Risk Assessment · Toronto Port Lands Community Based Risk Assessment Meggen Janes, PMP, P. Eng., M.Sc. Project Manager, CH2M June 2017

Toronto Port LandsCommunity Based Risk Assessment

Meggen Janes, PMP, P. Eng., M.Sc.Project Manager, CH2M

June 2017

2 ©2017 CH2M INC.

Community-Based Risk Assessment

• What is a CBRA?• What’s the study area?• Why is a CBRA needed?• What’s involved?• Considerations• CBRA Stages

3 ©2017 CH2M INC.

Community-Based Risk Assessment: What is it?• An approach to evaluate the soil and groundwater quality over a large area

• Assess potential health concerns for people and ecological systems (wildlife and aquatic habitat)

• Define remediation objectives, soil and groundwater management procedures and long term environmental protection requirements

• Based on well-established processes outlined in guidance from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) that consider contaminants, receptors and exposure pathways

• A collaborative, iterative and voluntary process

Contaminants

ExposurePathways

Receptors

Risk

4 ©2017 CH2M INC.

Community-Based Risk Assessment: Project Area

5 ©2017 CH2M INC.

Port Lands Future

Unique and Unprecedented:

• River Mouth concept as flood protection

• No established regulatory approval process for creating a river in brownfield

After Flood Protection:

• New Don River mouth

• Don Greenway (north of the Ship Channel)

• Improved Keating Channel

• Additional Infrastructure to drive development

6 ©2017 CH2M INC.

Community-Based Risk Assessment: Why is it needed?– The Port Lands are contaminated from infilling and industrial uses– No current environmental regulatory approval process in Ontario for a project of this

nature – creating a river through a brownfield– Allows us to identify and evaluate the risks to human health and the environment, and

develop effective measures to mitigate or remove those risks– Allows for the development of a comprehensive strategy for treating and reusing soil

within the project area – meaning that soils can be moved, treated and placed across the entire site

– Will support the creation of the new landmass around Essroc Quay, the new river mouth, flood protection landforms, municipal infrastructure and other project components

7 ©2017 CH2M INC.

Community-Based Risk Assessment: Why is it needed?

8 ©2017 CH2M INC.

Community-Based Risk Assessment: Why is it needed?

RSCs to be sought for several parkland areas (areas to be confirmed)

9 ©2017 CH2M INC.

Community-Based Risk Assessment: What’s Involved?

• Investigation Results• Heritage Building review

Preconsultationwith Agencies

Agency Review

Stakeholder Consultation

CBRA Terms of Reference

Definition of Approach (Technical

Memos)

Draft of CBRA

CBRA Submission

Agency Review and Acknowledgement

Stakeholder Consultation

Earthworks, Habitat Design, Lakefill Design, Infrastructure

Design Inputs

Amendments/Addendums if Information Gap

10 ©2017 CH2M INC.

Community-Based Risk Assessment: Receptors

• People, animals, plants considered in the RA:– Construction workers– Indoor/Outdoor Workers– Visitors to the park– Birds, mammals, aquatic

life– Plants, shrubs & trees

11 ©2017 CH2M INC.

Community-Based Risk Assessment: Considerations

What is the risk of exposure to soil and groundwater for:Construction workers Birds, mammals, aquatic lifeIndoor Workers Plants and shallow vegetationRecreational site visitors Deep rooted vegetation

12 ©2017 CH2M INC.

COCs

COCs

COCs

Volatile

Community-based Risk Assessment: Risk Evaluation

• Analyzed over 200,000 data points from approximately 25 historical reports and current/ongoing investigation data from 2015 onwards

• Data divided by subarea; contaminants of concern (COCs) identified in soil and groundwater

• Potential human and ecological exposure to COCs assessed based on future conditions (i.e., post-flood protection works)

13 ©2017 CH2M INC.

CBRA: Risk Evaluation

Toxicity AssessmentIdentify the dose-response for each COC (i.e., what adverse health effects may be produced by exposure)

Exposure AssessmentConsider amount of time humans and ecological receptors are at the site and in contact with soil, sediment, water or groundwater COCs

Risk AssessmentCombine exposure and toxicity information to calculate risk; compare risk to MOECC target levels

Risk Management Measures or

cleanup needed

Risk Management Measures not

needed

Exceeds target?

No Yes

14 ©2017 CH2M INC.

CBRA: Risk EvaluationSummary of Risk Evaluation Results –Primary Risk-Drivers

NAPL: non-aqueous phase liquid. In this case, petroleum products that are lighter than water, ‘float’ on the groundwater table and are present as a separate liquid phase. NAPL in the Port Lands is from gasoline, diesel fuels and motor oil.

Sub Areas Human and Ecological HealthExposure Pathway Primary COCs

Land-based

• Soil ingestion and skin contact

• Petroleum derivatives, arsenic, lead

• Groundwater ingestion and skin contact

• Petroleum derivatives

• Indoor air inhalation • vinyl chloride, benzene, naphthalene, petroleum derivatives

• Confined space air inhalation

• Naphthalene, petroleum derivatives

River/Lake• Aesthetic surface water

concerns• NAPL*

• Ecological • Petroleum derivatives

15 ©2017 CH2M INC.

CBRA: Exposure Pathways and Potential Risks

* Standard health and safety: gloves, work clothes, work boots, testing of air in confined spaces, designated eating locations.

Potential Risk Means of AddressingBreathing indoor air Block pathway with sealed floorSoil exposure (ingestion, inhaling dust and skin contact)

Block pathway with barrier caps

Groundwater exposure (ingestion or skin contact)

Addressed through standard health and safety practices*

Contaminants that form vapours in construction trench air (inhalation)

Addressed through standard health and safety practices*

Groundwater migration to new river/Lake(effect on aquatic receptors)

Block/verify pathway

Aesthetic risk due to interaction of NAPL with new river

Block/verify NAPL migration pathway

16 ©2017 CH2M INC.

CBRA: NAPL RMM Barrier Adjacent to River Valley

Limited potential for NAPL; monitoring zone Monitoring zoneArea identified with potential NAPL; managed through other RMMs (ie. barrier, caps)Zone for RMM barrier or remediation

17 ©2017 CH2M INC.

CBRA: NAPL Barrier Under the River Bed

• Predicted area with potential for NAPL under the river bed based on both field and laboratory measurements

• Area will need to be addressed either through remediation or installation of a barrier.

18 ©2017 CH2M INC.

CBRA: RMM and Remediation

• Detailed design of soil and groundwater management will be completed to determine areas where remediation is preferred instead of risk management

• WT is in the process of identifying innovative but proven technologies that can achieve the required levels of clean-up or containment.

• WT has selected 10 technologies (out of 51 proposed during the RFP process) for bench-scale testing. Winter 2017

• Several field-scale pilot tests are anticipated to be conducted in spring-summer 2017.

19 ©2017 CH2M INC.

CBRA: Soil Management

• Soil Management Plan developed as part of the CBRA– Describes methods to manage

excavated soil and maximize soil reuse within the Project

– Based on quality, soil would either be stockpiled or treated then reused on-site, reused off-site or disposed off-site

– Establishes requirements for soil tracking ie. tracking soil to it’s final location so that quality is assured, auditable and verified

20 ©2017 CH2M INC.

CBRA: Community Role

Stakeholder Consultation (Draft CBRA): March 2017CBRA Draft: May 2017Public Forum: September 2017

Ongoing engagement during planning and implementationConcurrent Agency Consultation Process

21 ©2017 CH2M INC.

CBRA Stages/Timeline

Summer/Fall2017

Winter/Spring2016/2017

Summer/Fall2016

Spring2016

• Consultation• Final CBRA

• Consultation• Draft CBRA

• Additional Soil and Groundwater Investigation

• Due Diligence completed

• Consultation• Development of

CBRA buildingblocks

• CBRA Terms of Reference Outlined

22

Questions?