Repairs underway following Port Hope harbour wall collapse

Port Hope officials say repair plans are underway for a harbour wall which collapsed on Tuesday.

The west wall collapsed Tuesday afternoon. Town staff say the incident has not interrupted service for the adjacent Cameco uranium conversion plant. However, the area surrounding the harbour wall has been closed. The incident was reported to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

The collapse wasn’t totally unexpected, town staff say, since the wall has been closely monitored for deterioration for several years. The walls are scheduled to be rebuilt as part of the Port Hope Area Initiative which is cleaning up low-level nuclear waste in the area.

“Residents are reminded that there are no human health or safety concerns related to this incident and that the area will continue to be monitored regularly.

The town, along with stakeholders, including Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (which is implementing the Port Hope Area Initiative) and Cameco, has been monitoring the west harbour wall.

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According to the town, since the wall collapse, the following steps have occurred:

• A new silt curtain has been sourced and is scheduled for installation this week. The barrier will be installed along the length of the west harbour wall, from the north to the south end, and is designed to prevent suspended materials from migrating into the rest of the harbour.
• End-to-end investigation of the sanitary sewer line was completed using a closed-circuit camera. Municipal staff determined that the pipe is clear and stable.
• The municipality’s regular water sampling schedule has been enhanced and is being conducted by municipal staff daily. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is also conducting water sampling to ensure water safety and compliance.

“Planning is underway for a harbour wall revetment and the stakeholders are working collaboratively to source materials and resources to address the repair expeditiously,” stated the town on Friday.