Ongoing salt contamination belies SFU's 'sustainable' image
Since 1983, when it was first built, the SFU Facility's road salt storage shed has been leaking salt into the nearby salmon-bearing creeks. The source of this contamination was first identified in 2003 when the Stoney Creek Environment Committee (SCEC) was investigating the status of the creek's salmon [
www.vcn.bc.ca/stoney/wq_report_2005.pdf]. Since then, the contamination has been demonstrably increasing, the findings confirmed by both independent chemical analyses and measurements from SFU's own environmental consultant.
In 2008-2009, SCEC conducted an in-stream bio-assay of Chum salmon eggs with extensive Water Quality sampling, which showed higher mortality in the tributary fed by the salt shed runoff [
http://www.handshake.ca/stoney/index.html]. These results gave the BC Ministry of Environment encouragement to write to SFU in March 2009 saying:
“It is our hope that immediate actions regarding the salt storage shed operation and maintenance, as well as winter road maintenance practices, will be taken to prevent ongoing contamination of surface and groundwater in the Stoney Creek watershed.”
Also, in March 2009, SCEC wrote to SFU President Stevenson asking for his support. He appointed KC Bell, Director of Special Projects, to sit in on the SFU Salt Management Committee, which is chaired by the City of Burnaby and attended by Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and BC Ministry of Environment.
In May 2009, SFU Facilities accepted responsibility for the contamination and in a press release [
http://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/news/story_05140901.shtml] promised to revise the salt application practices and spend $1 million for a new salt storage facility. Later, they revised that promise by saying they would ask for provincial funding for the construction.
Over the summer of 2009, a berm was placed around part of the salt storage area to direct the runoff into a sanitary sewer instead of the creeks, the area was repaved and core drilling took place without releasing results. In addition, SFU Facilities revised their snow removal and safety procedures to reduce the amount of salt used by combining it with sand.
With funding from the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF), TD Friends of the Environment, DFO and other donors, SCEC increased their monitoring with 3 Water Quality data loggers. While it is still too early to tell what effect the changed salt application procedures may have, it is clear that the changes to the storage area have had no effect, since chloride levels are higher than ever.
In October 2009, SFU Facilities sent a funding request to the Province for $1.6 million to build a new storage facility to maximum standards. At an October SFU Salt Management Committee meeting, SCEC presented two alternate locations for the road salt storage on the north side of the campus. Not only would the proposed relocation allow the existing contaminated area to be cleaned up immediately, the cost would be in the 10s of thousands, not millions. DFO has confirmed that there are no fish in the north-flowing creeks. Any spills would go directly to Burrard Inlet.
In November 2009, SCEC wrote a status report to SFU President Stevenson, who passed it to Mr. Pat Hibbits, VP of Finance and Administration for reply. That reply included:
"In response to your suggestion that the facility be constructed on the north slope of the mountain, all currently undeveloped sites under SFU's control are designated for academic uses and as it is SFU's intent to construct a permanent facility, the location must fit into the university's long term master plan for development."
After more than 5 years of asking for action, the SCEC is still waiting.
How can SFU claim to be 'sustainable' when contamination from the salt storage is still affecting the fish in Stoney Creek and there is no apparent intention to move the shed and remediate the site?
To be sustainable you have to practice sustainability.
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