Environmental assessment underway at Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home

Environmental assessment and the planning of remediation work is underway at the site of the Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home replacement project in Cranbrook.

Through the initial planning process for the Dr. F.W. Green (FWG) Memorial Home replacement project, it was discovered that both an industrial building and electrical substation were in operation on the site between 1953 and 1970. The historic industrial activities are related to welding and electrical distribution, both of which are considered Schedule 2 activities under the BC Contaminated Site Regulation, so it was deemed necessary to conduct extensive groundwater and soil testing to determine the environmental impacts on the site.

Through the testing, chloride ions and chromium were found to exceed the B.C. standards for soil. This will be remediated through proper disposal of soil. Groundwater monitoring of uranium levels will also be required through this process. Uranium is also found naturally, and levels vary greatly based on geological formations throughout B.C.

The contaminants are located on the current green space and parking area of the FWG site and are not a concern to the current facilities or its residents. Environmental analysis of these areas has been ongoing since spring 2024. McElhanney environmental services has been supporting the FWG project by overseeing the analysis and the remediation plan. Soil remediation will be one of the first steps in the construction process, which is planned to start in summer 2025.

“The remediation process will require special soil disposal to Regional District of East Kootenay's Central Subregion Landfill and groundwater monitoring,” said Catherine Trudeau, Project Manager, Capital Planning and Projects. “This will benefit the site by ensuring our new facility meets the requirements of the BC Environmental Management Act and that we are supporting the environmental well-being of our site.”

The environmental site assessment is in accordance with the requirements of the BC Environmental Management Act (EMA) and its supporting regulations, the B.C. Contaminated Sites Regulation, and the Hazardous Waste Regulation. It is necessary for the process of environmental due diligence prior to any major construction project.

The Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home is a long-term care home in Cranbrook that currently has 60 publicly funded beds. A new five-storey building is planned to be built at the same site at 1700 4 St. South. The planned expansion will add 87 new long-term care beds and three hospice beds for a total of 150 beds. Construction is expected to start in summer 2025.

Photo caption: A borehole is dug by the McElhanney team to collect soil samples for lab analysis.