A crowd of Brighton residents, municipal staff and staff with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, at an information session on the former Cooey Metals property contamination, on November 15, 2016. (Photo: David Foot / Quinte News)
Residents of Brighton have been updated with good news, when it comes to the contamination situation on the Cooey Metals property.
Staff from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change made a presentation at the King Edward Park Community Centre on Monday night and say despite higher-than-acceptable levels of chemicals in the ground, there’s no risk to public safety.
MOECC Regional Director David Bradley tells Quinte News rigorous monitoring of the site since the mid 90s has shown no major issues.
And Bradley adds that even with no immediate health impacts, they do have a plan to monitor the site moving forward.
Ministry officials have tried to reach the property owner for years, but with no success and neither the province, nor the municipality, feel responsible for paying the estimated $10 million dollar clean-up cost.
The monitoring costs are being covered by the ministry’s Environmental Clean-up fund, but that is only used to prevent human health impacts.
Speaking to Quinte News after the meeting, Mayor Mark Walas was pleased and says residents should find some comfort in the ministry analysis.
Walas says the MOECC will make the results of further monitoring available to the municipality and to members of the public upon request.
