Mayor Claude Trudel and his municipal administration held a special meeting with those implicated in this serious file.
Worried home owners are questioning what is being done
lussierp@transcontinental.ca
A residential project, including social housing, was never able to get off the ground in 1995 because the land of the former Presto wholesale grocery store on Rielle Street, is contaminated. The situation is worse than most people thought, so the borough is asking the landowners to get to the bottom of this.
A dozen homeowners attended a meeting that brought together mayor Claude Trudel, borough council members, director Gilles Baril, Provigo representative Josée Bédard, and public health and environment experts.
In 2005, the land owned by Presto (Provigo) was made available with the closing of the warehouse. Verdun was interested in purchasing the land to develop a residential project. Unfortunately, the soil sample required for the purchase revealed that the land is contaminated. Not being able to conclude a transaction, Provigo continues the investigation and the firm they hire discovers the presence of hydrocarbons in 2006. At the end of the year, they begin studying the land to see to what extent and depth the contamination reaches.
An expert from Sonexem, Serge Panusuk, has been keeping tabs on the extensive research and results obtained up until now on the Presto site and its adjacent surroundings. More than 60 drillings have taken place, 17 of them on the Rielle site. The company has detected heating oil mixed in with Diesel and some gas. The product has travelled through the sand in the ground to a depth of 20 to 30 feet. It is estimated that the quantity of oil is equivalent to 50 to 120 barrels of petrol. The company intends to drill further away from the site to determine the maximum perimeter of the contaminated soil. They have already started pumping out the hydrocarbons, while they make no secret of the fact that this might take up to two years to be completed.
Public health is not threatened
Mrs. Beausoleil, toxicologist at the Quebec Public Health Ministry confirmed that because of the depth of the oil site, there is no health risk for residents on Rielle Street. In fact, the health risk is practically zero. Samples have recently been taken, confirming this. As well, the aqueduct pipe which passes under Rielle Street also does not run the risk of contaminating drinking water.
Patience is recommended
Visibly concerned by these revelations, mayor Claude Trudel admitted that it was a serious situation, but the borough would do everything possible to help everyone in the nearby area.
According to Josée Bédard of Provigo, "we are dealing with a situation that we inherited." The contamination took place before Provigo purchased the land, in 1980. Provigo, which is currently assuming the costs of the drilling, is attempting to politely convince the former owner to do his part as well. In the meantime, nearby homeowners are worried that when they will want to sell their home, future buyers will be scared away by all this.
Homeowners will have to be patient. For the moment, the borough has proposed that a reevaluation of their property is conducted, so they pay fewer taxes, while the drilling and pumping continues at the Provigo site.
par Pierre Lussier 
Steven Guilbeault - 
