Photo Karen Graham.
This is the entrance to the former Millbrook Landfill on County Rd. 21 west of town. The property is no longer subject to environmental monitoring and is eligible for other uses yet to be determined.
Since it ceased operation in 2010, the former Millbrook Landfill site located on the south side of County Rd. 10 just west of Tapley ¼ Line has been the subject of mandatory environmental monitoring to ensure there was no residual contamination at the site. This annual expense has been funded by transfers from a reserve fund established at the time of closure for this purpose, which have amounted to $90,000 over the past twelve years.
In July, the township received notice from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks authorizing the full closure of the site and the termination of annual monitoring, having been satisfied by groundwater and surface water report results indicating no environmental risk remained.
This is good news on many fronts. First, the Ministry is confirming that there is no environmental risk associated with this five acre property. The site and its adjacent discontinued gravel pit of roughly 50 acres are now available to the township for other uses. This may include the creation of municipal greenspace or alternatively the property could be deemed surplus and sold.
Financially, the closure eliminates the annual monitoring expense and audit examination of the related potential liability and allows the township to release the balance of the funds in the Millbrook Landfill Reserve which amounted to $34,158 at the end of 2022. KG
