Clover Bar landfill capping would be a 'significant reduction' in Edmonton's emissions
Thirteen years after closing to the public, Edmonton's Clover Bar landfill continues to release methane fumes, with plans to implement capture technology converting them into renewable biogas moving ahead.
First opened in 1975, the Clover Bar landfill was the city's first engineered sanitary landfill featuring groundwater diversion and leachate treatment.
It was able to operate for 20 years longer than planned after recycling programs were brought online, finally closing in August 2009 after reaching full capacity.
According to the city's proposed waste services capital funding request for this budget cycle, safety and environmental enhancements to the landfill site need to be constructed, including erosion controls and a cutoff wall to prevent leaks into the North Saskatchewan River.
City council's utility committee met privately Friday to discuss the landfill-gas-to-renewable-gas conversion project. That was approved, also privately, in February 2021.
A landfill gas collection system has been in place since 1992, the capital profile report for the project notes. It is currently owned and operated by Capital Power under a contract that ends in 2024.
The city will take back control of the gas conversion site, but a condition assessment shows it needs upgrades to meet minimum environmental regulations.
The proposed utility budget calls for $16.7 million to upgrade the landfill gas collection and flare system. Capital Power will fund $4 million of that project and the city will leverage a provincial grant for $10 million.
The city will contribute $2.7 million, with the remaining $14 million will be "funded externally."
Once operational in 2024, the city anticipates it will produce approximately 325,500 gigajoules of renewable natural gas annually.
According to city administration, council heard about the project in private since disclosure of discussions could harm "economic and other interests of a public body."
While specifics of what was discussed at that meeting are not known, some form of the project update required council approval.
When asked by Mayor Amarjeet Sohi during open utility committee proceedings what actions the city could take any action to "expedite" progress on addressing the city's climate change and resiliency goals, Denis Jubinville, waste services manager, pointed to capping the landfill.
"Likely the largest impact we can have on our region is capping the Clover Bar Landfill," Jubinville told the committee.
"We know there's very harmful landfill gas that's able to escape through the top of it," he added. We need to cap it. We need to put three feet of clay on top of it. And so that's what we are doing with our, I guess, landfill gas system that we are putting in place in the coming two years."
"That will be a significant reduction in greenhouse gas."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
BREAKING Police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris where man threatens to blow himself up: French media
French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, Europe 1 radio and BFM TV.
Some Canadian families will receive up to $620 per child today
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.