July 21, 2002

Field notes

EBI continues to monitor Technoparc site
by Michael Douglas

On July 21 EBI visited the Technoparc site near Montreal to check on Environment Canada’s progress and to follow up on the expert report that was written by EBI in April, 2002.

EBI visited the site at 5pm, and the conditions were very warm and dry. Both of the sites off highway 10 had orange booms set up to contain the PCB seepage. The current was not floating over the booms, but was mixing with the pool contained inside the booms and was influencing the flow in the booms. At both sites there were also white tubes and white squares of various ages and in various stages of absorption.

There was no smell at either of the boomed-off sites, but there were slicks found at both. The slick at the downriver site was larger and more colourful then the slick at the upriver site. One dead fish was found on the shore at the downriver site.

The shed/pumping station at the upriver site was locked was covered – as well as the stairs leading to the site – with cobwebs. There was no sound coming from the shed/pumping station, so it appears as though the pump was not running.