1947 barge to move hazardous waste across Great Bear Lake

The Deline Land Corporation is upset that 1,090 barrels of waste are scheduled to be barged across Great Bear Lake despite concerns that the barge could fail, putting the water at risk of contamination.

The waste is from the remediation of four abandoned silver mines in the area. The Government of Canada is responsible for the cleanup. 

According to the project's waste management plan, 656 of the barrels contain hazardous materials such as old oil and petroleum. The barrels are to be barged to Deline for temporary storage and then trucked to a southern facility once the winter road opens in 2017.

Gina Dolphus, president of the Deline Land Corporation, said the barge transporting the barrels is 69 years old and the corporation is concerned about how secure the hazardous waste will be.

"They are removing the barrels, but we don't like them going over our Great Bear Lake. The barge is from 1947," Dolphus said.

She said the corporation would prefer the barrels be flown out by airplane.

"We asked them to use a Twin Otter and bring it back to the community, but they are still doing it [by barge]."

The Deline Land Corporation voiced its concern with the Sahtu Land and Water Board — the regional authority that is reviewing the project. 

The contaminants and remediation division of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada responded to the corporation's concern by letter. 

"The barge meets Transport Canada certification requirements and transportation standards," said Dinah Elliot, acting project manager for the Great Bear Lake project.

"There has been extensive consultation on this project over the years."

In the letter, Elliot said barrels containing waste will be placed within secondary containment and any delays to the program will lead to a higher chance of potential contamination. 

Elliot said the division will continue to work with the community as the project progresses.