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Location: Ministry Home > Land > Deloro Mine Site Cleanup Project > Site Remediation

Site Remediation

The cleanup plan for the Deloro Mine Site was developed by the ministry’s engineering and project management consultant, CH2MHILL Canada Limited.   The cleanup plan is designed to isolate and contain the remaining complex blend of contamination at the site. 

Since taking over this abandoned mining and industrial site, the ministry has reduced the amount of contamination coming from the site by 80 per cent.  The cleanup plan addresses the remaining 20 per cent of the problem. 

Cleanup Plan Overview

What is the objective of the cleanup?

Aerial View of the Deloro Mine SiteThe overall objective of the Deloro Mine Site Cleanup Project is to finish the cleanup of this abandoned mining and industrial complex, by isolating and containing wastes, and engineering the site to be safe for people and the environment for hundreds of years.

Strategic direction: onsite management of wastes through isolation and containment.

Management of wastes follows the Site Specific Risk Assessment (SSRA) approach, under the ministry’s Guideline for Use at Contaminated Sites in Ontario (1997).

Risk assessment: a scientific technique which estimates the risk posed to people, plants, wildlife and the natural environment from exposure to a contaminant. Results of the SSRA are used to determine how much cleanup needs to happen before the site is considered safe for people and the environment.

Cleanup overview:

  • Contain all wastes on site
  • Isolate contamination from the environment
  • Consolidate the most contaminated material for engineered containment
  • Cover less contaminated material with engineered clay caps
  • Manage surface and groundwater to eliminate contact with contained wastes

Quick facts about the Deloro Mine Site

Size: about 202 hectares (ha)

Contaminants of Concern:

  • Arsenic, the main contaminant of concern
  • Cobalt, copper, nickel
  • Low-level radioactive material (represents two to six per cent of waste at the site)

Other Materials to be Managed:

  • Refining slag
  • Mine tailings
  • Laboratory wastes
  • Demolished materials

Division of Areas: Site divided into four conceptual areas based on historical use: Industrial Area, Mine Area, Tailings Area, Young’s Creek Area. A cleanup strategy has been developed for each area of the site, to deal with each area’s unique environmental issues.

Volume of Waste: about 650,000 cubic metres (m3)

Chronology and Ministry Actions

The ministry has reduced the loadings of arsenic to the Moira River by more than 80 %.


 

Site Menu

Deloro Home
Background
Health Risk Study
Moira River
Public Consultations
Heritage Matters
Glossary
Site Remediation
Arsenic Treatment Plant
Industrial Area
Tailings Area
Mine Area
Youngs Creek Area
Environmental Assessments

Cleanup Plan Summary Materials


Cleanup plan, technical reports


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If you are having difficulty accessing a document, please contact the Ministry of the Environment at picemail@ene.gov.on.ca or phone the ministry's Public Information Centre at 1- 800-565-4923, in Toronto 416-325-4000 or by mail to the Ministry of the Environment, Public Information Centre, 135 St. Clair Ave. West, 1st Floor, Toronto, ON. M4V 1P5.