Environmental inspectors slap Coquitlam construction-service company with pollution abatement order, recommend fine

Significant contamination flowing into the Pitt River has led to a pollution abatement order being issued to a Coquitlam construction company.

After concerns were report to the Ministry of Environment, inspection officers conducted an on-site inspection of Ground X Site Services Ltd.’s 7-acres work yard at 750 Kingsway Ave. in Port Coquitlam on Dec. 7, 2023. 

“I am satisfied on reasonable grounds that a substance is causing pollution on lands occupied by Ground X Site Services Ltd.,” stated Bryan Vroom, head of the Ministry of Environment’s (MOE) compliance section, in the abatement order.

MOE inspectors are recommending the company receive a fine.

The facility, which collects hydrovac waste from municipal, commercial, institutional and industrial sites, is located directly north of the fish-bearing Pitt River.

Officers observed environmental waste in a hydrovac pond was at capacity and had visibly eroded, indicating effluent had been released into the environment.

Stormwater effluent had pooled in multiple areas throughout the site, and was found to be directly discharging into a Kingsway Avenue ditch which drains into the Pitt River.

Samples were collected from three discharge areas, and testing revealed chemical levels were well above parameters set by the British Columbia Water Quality Guidelines (BCWQG).

Contaminants exceeding BCWQG standards included Aluminum, Arsenic, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Lead, Zinc, Mercury, Nickel, Silver, Vanadium, Zinc, Anthracene, Benz(a)anthracene, Benzo(a)pyrene, Fluoranthene, Phenanthrene, Pyrene, and Chloroform.

Ministry inspectors also observed a workshop, multiple sea-cans, totes, and barrels submerged in water on a gravel base, with visible oil slick on top of the water. Many of the waste containers were also unlabelled.

“Ground X Staff were unable to confirm the contents of the multiple totes, drums and containers. However, waste oil, a hazardous waste, was observed to be stored in a manner that caused it to leak,” the inspection reports stated.

A sample of the liquid was taken for testing, but the Ministry’s lab notified officers the sample was too high in semi-volatile hydrocarbons to complete all analysis.

Ground X has been ordered by the province to immediately cease the discharge of contaminated substances on the site.

It will be forced to complete a report identifying specific locations where effluent discharges are occurring, identify and source all potential contaminants of concerns, and include accompanying lab analyses by Feb. 15, 2024.

The company also needs to submit an effluent sampling and management plan for approval by the province, and needs to implement ongoing inspections, sampling and record keeping measures.

Failure to comply with the order can be punishable under the Environmental Management Act by a fine of up to $300,000 and up to six months in jail. In addition, administrative penalties can be issued up to $40,000.

Ground X was already issued a warning letter by the Ministry on Jan. 23, 2024, for failing to provide information requested by inspectors.

During the inspection, company staff said its takes effluent and soil samples from three locations on a monthly basis and sends them to a lab for analysis.

Ministry Staff requested testing records from July through December, 2023, as well as other documentation pertaining to soil and water disposal. 

Ground X’s director, Richard Lubarski, stated that its employee responsible for health, safety, and environmental practices is no longer working for the company, and indicated there may be a potential delay.

Company staff later emailed the Ministry with sampling records from October, 2023, as well as documentation from an earlier oil spill clean up, but did not provide everything that had been requested.

The Ministry extended the company’s deadline to Jan. 8, but Ground X failed to meet that deadline.

The company’s Port Coquitlam workyard has a history of non-compliance regarding environmental regulations.

The site has undergone three prior inspections dating back to July, 2021, and has been found to be out of compliance on every occasion, according to the province’s database.

Most recently, in July 2023, the company was issued an advisory after environmental inspectors observed an erosion channel leading into the Pitt River and a drainage swale leading into a ditch. Company staff’s statements further indicated off-site discharges were occurring.

The Ministry of Environment conducted an investigation of the site in late 2021, after receiving a complaint that waste material was being accepted at the site without a proper permit.

Inspectors determined the company was allowing or causing waste to be introduced into the environment, and observed effluent being discharged through ground infiltration, and oil sheen leaking into the Pitt River.