Barenco developed and implemented a remediation plan for this former manufacturing facility located in the Leaside area of north Toronto. The site was approximately 28 acres in size. From 1914 to the early 1990s, it had been used for manufacturing various products such as wire, artillery (shell casings), automobiles and household appliances. All remaining above-ground structures, with the exception of an 8-storey tower, had been demolished in 1997-8.

In addition to several assessments which had been completed by other firms, a Phase II assessment was conducted by Barenco to fully characterize the environmental condition of the property. The findings of these investigations indicated that the site contained several areas where soil and/or ground water had been impacted with petroleum hydrocarbons, metals and chlorinated solvents.

On the basis of these findings, Barenco developed a remediation plan. Excavation and disposal was selected as the remediation option for soil impacted with metals and for some of the soil impacted by petroleum hydrocarbons. The remaining petroleum impacted soil, approximately 4,500 tonnes, was cleaned on site using Barenco’s MOE-licensed proprietary bioremediation system.

The majority of soil and ground water impacted with chlorinated solvents was addressed using a site specific risk assessment (“SSRA”) approach to develop risk-based soil and ground water clean-up criteria. While still protective of human and ecological receptors, these criteria were less stringent than the generic criteria listed in the Guideline for Use at Contaminated Sites in Ontario. Barenco’s work in establishing these criteria made a cost-effective remediation program possible. Following approval of Barenco’s SSRA by the Ministry of Environment, the owner’s bank agreed to finance the project.

To allow early permitting and construction by the anchor tenant, remediation in one area of the site was expedited, applying the generic clean up criteria. Following this, the remainder of the site was remediated to the cleanup standards established by the SSRA.

The total project cost was approximately $1.6 million (versus previous estimates the owner had received of $6-8 million).

The remainder of the site was developed as a retail plaza following completion of Barenco’s work.