By Joel van der Veen
LOREBURN — The site was graded, the plans were made and the volunteers were ready to go.
And then they struck oil.
Plans for an outdoor classroom at Loreburn Central School remain on hold following the discovery of contaminated soil on the school grounds.
The school is awaiting approval for a grant from the Ministry of Education’s Emergent Funding Program to clean up the contamination, at an estimated cost of $250,000.
An underground oil tank, used by the school prior to the introduction of natural gas, is believed to have been the source of the contamination.
A group of volunteers was drilling the pilings for the outdoor classroom in mid-May when the contaminated soil was discovered.
Until the site is cleaned up, principal Jill Long said, the project will remain on hold, to the dismay of teachers, students and other community members.
“There were lots of us that were heartbroken,” said Long. “We were really hoping to have it operating by the end of this school year.”
“I was pretty sad,” said teacher Brenna Siroski, who has spearheaded the project. “We’ve had this idea for quite a few years now.”
The project has been divided into multiple phases, beginning with the installation of a gazebo and landscaping the surrounding area, including the addition of trees and flower beds.
Later, the school plans to add outdoor furniture to the gazebo, such as a chalkboard and chairs, making it suitable for use as an actual classroom when weather allows.
The idea originated during Judy Brown’s tenure as principal. This year, the school budgeted $7,000 for the first phase of the project and planned to begin construction this spring.
A north-facing site, tucked inside the L-shaped building, was chosen. It is separated from the school’s running track by a row of trees. Long, who has been on the school staff since 1998, said the space has just been a “grassy field” throughout her time at Loreburn.
Topsoil, seedlings and other landscaping supplies were donated, and crews of volunteers were ready to go when the issue was discovered.
“I knew right away that there was going to have to be some soil rectification,” said Siroski.
Work on the project was immediately halted, and Clifton Associates, Ltd., a Regina-based engineering firm, completed an assessment of the site.
The firm estimated that the contaminated plume measures approximately 40 metres by 30 metres by 1.5 metres, or around 2,000 cubic metres.
The soil has been identified as “petroleum hydrocarbon impacted,” with benzene, ethylbenzene and petroleum hydrocarbon fractions one and two being named as the specific contaminants.
The application notes that these materials are usually indicative of the presence of gas, diesel or oil.
A 1,000-gallon tank, previously located underground near the school, was identified as the likely cause of the contamination.
The report by Clifton Associates indicates that contaminant levels exceed the guidelines set in the Ministry of Environment’s Risk-Based Corrective Actions policy, and “may pose significant health risk if not removed from the site.”
“The contamination at the site is a human health risk, as well as environmentally detrimental to both soil condition and the regional groundwater,” reads the report.
If not remediated, the contamination has the potential to further affect soil and groundwater in the area, as well as risks to human health, the report continues.
Evaluators said the problem would best be addressed by excavating the contaminated soil completely, hauling it to a certified disposal company and then backfilling the excavated area.
The application was approved by the board of Sun West School Division at its regular meeting on June 23 and forwarded to the Ministry of Education.
For the full story, please see the July 6 edition of The Davidson Leader.