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~~" TERRACE BAY PUBLIC LIBRARY Terrace Bay Vol. 43, No. 30 July 26, 1989 - Schreiber 696 xo" 8 Ayesary oad keg eoeueL pests bl ONz@ 10d yuo Kea eoeel -40 cents A CL-215 Water Bomber was called to a fire just east of Schreiber last Thursday afternoon. Pewas on the -- scene for over an hour and dropped over 10,000 gallons of water and foam to douse the 15 or so spot fires in the _ area. CL-215 water bombers Photo by Dave Chmara Charges Snow study finds suidelines exceeded By Dave Chmara Snow sampling survey results at and near the Mineral Transfer Facility in Schreiber have con- firmed previous moss bag surveys which indicated levels of copper and zinc that exceed Ministry of the Environment guidelines. -- The snow sampling study, con- ducted Feb. 20 and 21, 1989, found copper and zinc levels were significantly above snow contaminant guidelines off CP Rail property. ; The moss bag study was con- ducted in the same area in August, 1988. The snow sampling survey report cautions "guideline excee- dences mean that values are above the upper limit of norma 'but do not necessarily imply ronmental or health effects." Levels of copper were as high as 4,800 micrograms/cubic metre - the guideline is 60. Iron levels were as high as 15,000 micro- grams/cubic metre compared to Arsenic, lead, mercury and silver were above normal levels at-some sites on CP Rail property, but met guidelines off property. Other research done as part of the study indicates, "These statis- tics mean that the transhipment site was the probable source of elevated metals found in snow off company property." : Measures to improve opera- tions at the Transfer Facility were put in place shortly after a Feb. 15, 1989 meeting between Ministry staff and CP Rail. The report notes any improvements arising from these discussions would not be reflected in the results of the 1989 snow survey. Measures to improve the con- LATBHA S OV 6 a piles, washing the concrete and asphalt arcas near stockpiles to reduce dust, provision of enough rail cars to prevent accumulation of concentrate, promptly covering loaded gondola cars with dust . : 6 the guideline of 700 and zinc lev- _ lids, and noise control measures. laid after | els reached 40,000 In order to determine the Ca e In O a e re micrograms/cubic metre while cffectivencss of the changes in é the guideline is 300. operation, the Ministry of the -- By Dave Chmara One CL-215 water bomber and a Birddog were called in to battle a fire by the Schreiber overpass last Wed., July 19. The fire was apparently. caused by tie burning said Conservation Officer Paul Dennis with the Terrace Bay District Ministry of Natural Resources, although at the time he could not determine who had lit the fire. Dennis said over a dozen spot fires were burning in the area and all but two originated fron: burn- ing ties. He speculated the other spot fires started from sparks being blown down wind. With the Terrace Bay forest fire crew out of town, a crew drove in from Manitouwadge and another was flown in by heli- copter from Geraldton. Sergeant Andy Templar of the Schreiber OPP detachment said when he arrived on the scene the fire was just beginning to enter the bush to the sides of the rail- way tracks. But shortly after- wards, the CL-215 and Birddog arrived and began fighting the fire from the air. The recent hot and dry weath- er, along with no nearby water source, could have made battling the fire much more difficult had the plancs not been available. The Birddog scouted the. fire and located the nearest available water source, Hays Lake, and then directed the CL-215 where to drop its load. Conservation Officer Mike Kenny said the CL-215 had a 'turn around time (the time it. takes to drop the water, load up, and get back to the fire) of about five | minutes. : Dropping 1,200 gallons (six tons) of water and foam at a time, the CL-215 took about an hour- and-a-half, and a dozen drops to extinguish the flames enough for the two fire crews to go in and mop-up the spot fires with shov- els and portable water packs. Traffic in the area was slowed down somewhat as the Terrace Bay Fire Department, ambulance, police, Ministry of Natural Resources and forest fire fighting crews were all called to the scene. fish derby By Dave Chmara Charges have been laid under the Liquor Licence Act, Special Occasion Permits, against Chuck Hutterli. The charges stem from inci- dents at the Rossport Fish Derby during which minors were within the vicinity of where alcohol was being served and consumed. Sergeant Andy Templar of the Schreiber OPP detachment, said in theory one charge could have been laid for each of the minors in the restricted area. Hutterli was charged as it was his name which was on the Special Occasion Permit. He will appear in Provincial Offences Court August 30, 1989. If convicted, a fine could be imposed. Also, because of changes to the Liquor Licence Act, a convic- tion could make it more difficult to obtain a Special Occasion Permit for next year's fishing derby. : These levels were recorded approximately 50 m (150 feet) south of the transfer facility, which is still located within CP Rail property. It is also noted in the report the study was conducted prior to the implementation of a control program to reduce dust emissions from the transhipment area. "This program has now been implemented. Follow-up Ministry monitoring is expected to show the benefits of this action," the report notes. Samples of snow were collect- ed from 17 different sites around the transfer facility and from three control sites remote from the study area, The report proves guidelines have been exceeded but says, "snow contaminant guidelines have no legal status in Ministry legislation, but serve as useful indicators of possible contamina- tion problems." In addition to exceeded levels of copper and zinc, levels of cad- mium and iron slightly exceeded guidelines in the same areas. Environment began air quality testing with hi-vol air samplers in early May. The hi-vol tests are the second phase of testing and if results indicate levels set by the Ministry are exceeded, CP Rail could be charged. In addition, a repeat moss bag exposure survey will be conduct- ed ihis summer as well as vegeta- tion and soil tests, and another snow sampling study is planned for early 1990. CP Rail has hired a consultant to study ways in which dust emis- sions can further be reduced. The report is due no later than Sept. 1, 1989. The Mineral Transfer Facility is a concentrate transhipment area which receives the product from Minnova Inc., a base metal mine, located about 20 km northwest of Schreiber. Zinc and copper con- centrate from the mine is hauled by truck to Schreiber, unloaded onto a concrete pad at the rail yard, then transferred to gondola rail cars. To all clients of "car Me A NI Ss 4 ---D - é ae | & ES VV =. i K Superior Shoreline Insurance Ltd. | Simcoe Plaza SE mee : ie tai yee beeen of --_-- ce apt Touri pe Editorial Pet Talk ; ; added a rec room? Added a deck? Call Faris Zdanovekls Meeting looks at ways Public must show Report on the big trip [If you are not a client of OURS check your Broker to increase visitors support for tourism with Nova a Oe ace 1-807-824-2933 Page 2 Page 4 Pages jou Why glad ae 1-807-825-9393 825-9492 825-9646