The 2014 Crown Contaminated Sites Program Biennial Report released today details work government has done over the past decade to clean up sites that have been contaminated by historic industrial activity.

The program manages high-risk contaminated sites on Crown land, protecting the health of British Columbians and their environment. Established in 2003, the Crown Contaminated Sites program inherited a legacy of contaminated sites - land, water, and buildings. For the most part, the contamination dated back to earlier in the previous century, when the impacts of industrial development were not well managed and before current environmental standards were in place.

The Province now has stringent standards in place to protect health and the environment from industrial contamination to ensure this type of damage does not occur again.

To date, B.C. has committed more than $277 million to the program, investigated 84 contaminated sites, and identified and managed risks to human health and the environment on 34 sites.

Highlights of the report include details of cleanup operations at 10 priority sites around the province: Millstream Meadows, Toquaht Bay Marina and Campground, Union Bay on Vancouver Island; Howard Mine and Midway Mine in the Kootenays; Britannia and Furry Creek in Sea-to-Sky; Emerald Glacier, Atlin Ruffner and Bralorne Takla in the North; and Mowson Pond near Gold Bridge.

Quote:

Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson -

“The 2014 Crown Contaminated Sites Program Biennial Report details the successes of the program and reconfirms the Province’s commitment to protecting the health of British Columbians and safeguarding the environment we all cherish."

Learn More:  

For a copy of the 2014 Crown Contaminated Sites Program Biennial Report, visit:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/2014_CCSP_Biennial_Report.pdf

Media Contacts:

Greig Bethel
Media Relations
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261