Work has begun on the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) cleanup project, with the ground-breaking on May 6 and construction on the access road to the low-level radioactive waste management facility underway.

Project manager Christine Fahey updated Port Hope council Tuesday night on the PHAI’s progress — a $100-million transition phase before the waste facility construction begins.

The plan is to remediate the low-level radioactive waste (LLRW -radium and uranium from the Eldorado era that is scattered throughout certain areas of the municipality.

After 20 years of assessment, a legal agreement was signed in 2001 to enable the PHAI to move forward with the cleanup, Fahey said.

Once the access road is completed this fall, the construction on the mound will begin.

The mound will house the LLRW in a liner that is a “proven” technology, Fahey told council.

As for the cleanup, last year’s trial resurvey at 132 King St.

was an “excellent experience” that allowed them to test new survey methods. A citizens’ group was a part of the trial cleanup that gave the PHAI a lay perspective, she said.

Monitoring of dust and noise, ground and surface water as well as soil have been taking place, with odour studies soon going out for tender, she added.

A Phase 2 funding proposal is currently being worked out, but Fahey would not say how much the anticipated costs are, but the building of the waste facility, roads and buildings involved, as well as the collection of wastes from areas such as the Centre Pier, Welcome, midtown, the harbour area, the Highland Drive area, Eldorado waste, industrial and other small-scale sites, are expected to take nine years.

“The work (on the strategic cell development of the waste facility) is to take place between 2013 and 2019,” Fahey said.

For more information and/or to keep updated on the status of the PHAI project in Port Hope, visit www.phai.caor drop by the PHAI office at 115 Toronto Rd. or call 905- 885-8830.

via PHAI begins work on access road – Northumberland Today – Ontario, CA.