Municipal leaders deserve a say in whether radioactive recyclables are ferried through the Welland Canal, says the mayor of St. Catharines.

The Bruce Nuclear Generating Station has asked for a licence to ship “low-level” radioactive generators from Lake Huron, through the Welland Canal and the rest of the St. Lawrence Seaway to a recycling plant in Sweden.

Each of the 16 bus-sized steam generators contains steel that can be decontaminated and reused, according to Bruce Power officials, but about 10% of the material is thought to be too radioactive to recycle and will be returned to the Lake Huron facility for storage.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission will ultimately decide whether to allow the materials to be shipped. But environmental groups and some local politicians on both sides of the border, including Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley, are circulating a resolution calling for the metal-recycling journey, which is planned for September, to be scrapped.

St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan said Monday he hasn’t seen the resolution and doesn’t yet know whether he will sign.

“This may end up being the safest, most environmentally friendly option available,” he said. “But my concern is consultation, or the lack of it, with municipal partners and the public.”

Bruce Power talked in advance with local authorities along the road transportation route from the generating plant to the loading dock in Owen Sound, said spokesman John Peevers.

But he said that was done “more to deal with potential traffic issues” resulting from the movement of oversize loads, not to discuss whether the material is safe to transport.

“This is very low-level radiation we’re talking about here, well within regulatory limits for transportation,” he said, adding the generators will be sealed inside steel casings. Power plant officials have estimated a person standing near one of the 100-tonne generators for two hours would be exposed to the same amount of radiation found in a medical X-ray.

Peevers said Bruce Power has no plans to consult with all municipalities along the proposed Great Lakes route, noting the CNSC will examine the proposal to ensure it meets federal safety standards.

He acknowledged some local politicians have expressed concerns and said company officials are willing to answer their questions. “We think recycling this material is an environmentally responsible way to go,” he said.

Municipal officials shouldn’t have to wait this late in the game to ask important questions, McMullan argued.

“We’re asking to be treated as equal partners when it comes to protection of the Great Lakes,” said McMullan, who is the vice-chair of a binational coalition of mayors that seeks to influence upper levels of government on water quality. “On issues like this, we’re asking to be consulted.”

McMullan stressed he hasn’t formulated an opinion yet on the Bruce Power proposal.

But he said the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative recently wrote federal, provincial and state leaders asking what disaster management plans existed for the freshwater highway.

“Particularly given what we’re seeing with the (oil) spill in the Gulf (of Mexico), we don’t want to be caught off guard here in the Great Lakes,” he said.

The movement of radioactive materials on the Great Lakes is “quite rare,” said Andrew Bogora, spokesman for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.

The vast majority of cargo is inert bulk material like grain, salt, cement, iron ore or coal, although some ships do move waste, liquid chemicals or fuel.

Ships that move potentially dangerous goods are required to conduct regular exercises designed to prepare the crew for emergencies, Bogora said.

Similarly, the Seaway annually tests its disaster-readiness plan.

“That helps ensure we’re ready to react in a timely fashion,” he said.

via Consult public on plan to ship nuclear waste: McMullan – Niagara Falls Review – Ontario, CA.