The Port Hope Project in April resumed remediation of radioactively contaminated properties in the municipality in Ontario, Canada.
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ Port Hope Area Initiative is testing all private properties for low-level radioactive waste, left by uranium and radium refining during the 20th century. To date, roughly 1,000 sites are known to require remediation. The testing process is nearly finished, project spokesman Bill Daily said by email Wednesday.
So far, the project has cleaned up 10 properties.
“Work on residential properties resumed in April of this year, with exterior cleanups on 30 properties currently underway,” Daly wrote. “The work on these properties includes removal of structures such as decks and natural features like shrubs and trees, followed by excavation of front and back yards to remove the historic low-level radioactive waste. Once the waste has been removed, the property is restored and any structures are rebuilt at no cost to the home owner.”
Exterior remediation of an additional 50 to 70 locations is anticipated in 2019, focusing on removal of soil contaminated by wastes including radium-226, uranium, thorium, and arsenic. The amount of work necessary will differ based on location, according to Daly. Some properties will need extensive soil excavation and restoration, while others have only small impacted areas in which waste can be removed via hydro-vacuuming.
The goal is to finish 70 exterior jobs by next March, Daly stated. “Many private properties will also include interior remediation if contamination is identified in walls or under floors. Some interior work is planned for later this year, but the majority of that work will happen in future years.”
The property cleanup is one aspect of a $1.3 billion CAD ($961 million) remediation of Port Hope and the nearby Port Granby. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2025.
