FROM PAGE A8

landfill were never in dispute
and the local resident who
reported the incident also
had photographic evidence
of the dumping, charges
were never brought.

Waste Management
Municipal Section Head
Ernie Lawson recalls that at
the time his department
made the decision not to
prosecute a statement was
made that it would not look
good having one level of
government prosecute
another.

He adds that though
ERCO was not prosecuted
the instance prompted
Waste Management to look
more closely at the overall
problem of dumping
hazardous wastes at landfills
by incorporating a system of
logging details of such
wastes.

ERCO has since added
storage tankers to its plant
for collecting toxic wastes
with a view to dumping them
at a landfill designated for
hazardous waters. at
Arlington, Oregon.

Environmentalists in
federal agencies, as well as
private consultants working
in hazardous wastes and
local wildlife groups,express
frustration at such an at-
titude by Waste
Management.

It is generally considered
that Waste Management has
the clout through its permit
system to clean up the
environment to a greater
degree than other agencies.

But consistently expressed
criticisms are that the
department is more con-
cerned with “keeping its
nose clean” by avoiding
controversy and maintaining
a low profile.

Lawson counters by
detailing instances where
Waste Management has
brought charges, such as the
court action against the
district of Surrey relating to
the discharge of leachate
into the Fraser River from
the landfill there.

Recently, two charges
were brought by Waste
Management against Kopper
International, of Burnaby,
relating to a spill of oil and
PCP into the Fraser River
from a water treatment plant
last November.

Waste management comes
under provincial junstiction.
Though landfill permit
applications are referred to
Fisheries and EPS, there 1s
no binding accord between
the two government levels
whereby Waste Managc.
ment is Compelled to incor

BIONAIRE 1000
AIR CLEANERNONIZER

$259”
IMPORTANT BENEFITS

Helps providio a more 1 conn
fortable environment foe you
ariel you tarnmiy

Vensens lens: ane) Tale
Hecha on strana anal ws ttatoatet,
Hottoshesn and «leans the au

COOVEIE VE ately crt gm fferes eared
prebataants
Helpn

eet ve nl aber re Co

foloae Co aerhe
Propet ten 4 tevestinny tt werll

Voevteigy

MARKETING MANAGEMENT
ASSOCIATES
STE BOS KAPIL ANG) 1606
So) SOMITE PARR Hory AY
WEST VAN HE VITAL
(604) 822 7088

porate the federal concerns
as conditions to awarding
pollution control permits.

The final decision is made
at the provincial level, unless
a ruling to the contrary is
sought in the courts and a
judge makes an order to the
applicant.

Coordinator of studies for
the local EPS office, Otto
Langer, says that
disagreements between EPS
and Waste Management are
not rare and stem from
different philosophies
between the two agencies.

“We don't always disagree
but we disagree more often
than rarely,” he says. “We
have different perspectives
of what water quality is all
about.”

“We are trying to protect
fish,” Langer says. “They are
trying to administer an act.”

Lawson sees Waste
Management objectives
differently. “Our objective is
to protect the environment
and control pollution,” he
says, adding: “We're not set
up to eliminate pollution
but are trying our best to
control it.”

There are occasions when
EPS or

Fisheries recom-
mendations to Waste
Management are ignored

and concerns by the federal
agencies over possible
pollution consequences are
sufficient that the matter
ends up in court, with a
request for an order to be
made to landfill applicants.

This was the case in
situations at Richmond
Landfill and the Ven-Dev
landfill at Fraser Mills,
Langer say

‘We told
Management Ven-Dev
wouldn't work but they
aren't in a binding
agreement where they have
to accept our decision. They
allowed the landfill to
proceed and the leachate
turned the stream black and
we prosecuted with
cooperation from a citizens’
group.”

Langer does not rule out
such legal action occuring
some time over concerns at
North Van's Premier Street
Landfill.

EPS is anxious about the
history of problems there
with leachate from the dump
entering Lynn Creek and
North Van Distnct's overall
plan to continue dumping at
the landfill for the next 20
years or more. Local EPS
officials would like to see the
landfill phased out as soon as
possible.

Waste

FRESH.
PURE AIR!

The Qrowertial tsar ae
C debear ere depts tee my
prollsterd attra yop ivenee
tousett ie ane Fetters

pre rdlese weed thee aber,

aay.

aber tyeb a yg paete tae bee

Models tor home off o and car

rn ce re

Var

EPS officer Gordon
Thompson considers the site
is altogether unsuitable for
dumping because it is right
on the bank of Lynn Creek.

He thinks that calamities
such as the Halloween
washout which led to a large
section of the landfill
collapsing into the creek,
which is still littered with
garbage from the incident,
are not only likely but bound
to occur again.

Thompson says the water
level of the creek that day
was not even a 10-year-high,
never mind a record. Past
experience at the site with

ERNIE LAWSON

Head of Waste
Management Municipal
Section

problems of leachate which
he says is significantly toxic,
has made him sceptical
about whether the creek can
ever be adequately
safeguarded.

Such doubts anger Waste
Management head Lawson
in fight of extensive
negotiations between his
department and _ Federal
Fisheries and his efforts to
ensure protection of the fish
habitat. He says he cannot
agree that further washouts
are inevitable.

That aside, he points out
that North Van _ District
doesn't even have the
authorization necessary for
20-year dumping at « the
landfill because the area
covered by its pollution
control permit may be filled
within five years.

Longer term dumping
than that would require an
additional permit for a final
section in the north-east
corner of the area so that the
height of the landfill could

$9590
ORSMAN

LIMITE,

184 Pemberton Ave (4% bik S of Marine Dr )
North Vancouver. BC Tel 988-3443

rise to the cemetary
grounds, rather than sloping
down to finish off at a
significantly lower level.

District Mayor Don Bell
and Municipal Manager
Doug Welsh were not even
aware of the permit situation
when questioned about it by
this reporter last fall.

Welsh responded that if
District didn’t have a permit
for the final proposed
landfill area it would inform
Waste Management of its
intended plan and receive
the necessary poitfution
control permit.

But Waste Management's
Lawson says awarding such a
permit--may not be nearly
such a simple formality as
District officials anticipate.

Any application to extend
the pollution control area
would require ai “full
assessment”, he says.

“Taking into account the
current public interest in the
matter, I think it would be
an application which would
receive a lot of public
scrutiny and the decision
would be a little more open
to question at this point of
time.

Public awareness has
increased to the point where
Lawson anticipates there
would be considerable
opposition to extending the
permitted dumping area at
Premier Street.

“Certain segments of the
public are extremely con-

- cerned about pollution now,

as they rightly should be,” he
says, adding that there are
clearly problems at the
Premier Street Landfill.

If District wants to expand

akwon>

- 6 cylinder

Power Flush

No Waiting ...
Competitive Rates

Qualified Technicians
Expert Diagnostic & Service Equipment

Tune-up Special
- Acylinder - *35°°|.~ 8 cylinder

*39°° | - Light duty
& vans

1375 MARINE DR. NV

into the final landfill area in
five years, Lawson says it
would need to apply for a
permit within “two to three
years at the outside, maybe
somewhat sooner,” because
he thinks it might take so
long to process.

“It would take a very
minimum of four to six
months to consider the
application and if there was
extensive public opposition
it could take longer than
that”.

He doesn't attempt to
comment on whether or not
a pollution permit would be
awarded, saying the ap-
plication would have to be
considered on its own
merits.

But he adds it is not a
forgone conclusion § that
District will be able to
implement its 20-year plan
for the landfill and that the
views of local residents will
play an important part in the
decision.

“Public input is required
in pollution control
legislation and the public
does have an opportunity for
input in any application,” he
says.

HOMETOWN
Correction Notice
In Hometown's current 32
page catalogue, inserted 3

January in the Sunday
News, the stee! bar clamp.

fixtures appearing on page
12 should read “hatf inch
capacity and mode! ADJ
52”. Hometown apologizes
tor any inconvenience this
may have caused their
customers.

GM Service Centre
TRY US! .... TRY OUR SYSTEM!

No Appointment Necessary
. Immediate Service

(Parts E xtra)

Transmission Servicing
Align Frt. End
Lube, Oil & Filter

Cooling System

HOURS 8 OO to 5 BO WEEKDAYS, 8 30 to 4 30 SAT

All - Sunday News, January 10, 1982

Disputes over pollution philosophies

$1.00 OFF

Bring in this ad-
vertisement and receive
$1.00 off the cost of
developing & oprinting
110, 126 or 135 colour
film. Offer expires Jan.
31,1982. ™

Your colour photographs are
back in just one hour
Reprints in only 20 minutes. *
At ONE HOUR PHOTO, you
receive superior QUALITY
and fast SERVICE at no extra
charge. Time may vary ac-
cording to work load.

Japan
Camera
Centre

Capilano Mall
987-0780

ee /
“nig ay,

Cd i;
$00 “Me
" Noy Me,

$4195

trucks
$§3°°

569°
17°
$149
$3595
$529

(nchucting Flusts Kit
&41trs Ante Freese)

(including Marts)

(Most Cars)

988-7172