Project Description:
The Department of National Defence (DND), in cooperation with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), developed a landfill monitoring plan to address post-closure monitoring requirements for the landfills at the former DEW Line sites. The objective of the landfill monitoring program is to collect sufficient information to assess the performance of the landfills from a geotechnical and environmental perspective. The landfill monitoring plan specifies the requirements for visual inspection, soil and groundwater sampling, and ground temperature monitoring of landfills at the DEW Line sites in Nunavut under DND's jurisdiction. The DND-NTI cooperation agreement stipulates that the landfills at CAM-M must be monitored until at least 2025.
DND plans to undertake landfill monitoring activities at CAM-M in August 2025, as per our agreements with NTI.
The landfill monitoring activities consist of making visual observations, collecting soil and groundwater samples, and downloading temperature data from thermal monitoring instruments. The team would travel to/from the site by fixed-wing aircraft.
All soil and groundwater sampling locations are pre-determined around the landfill perimeters, as part of the site's monitoring plan. Soil samples are collected at depths of 0-15 cm and 40-50 cm below ground surface using shovels, which are cleaned between each use. All soil sampling locations are backfilled using the native soil from each hole, and the surface is compacted using shovels and/or work boots. Groundwater samples are collected from monitoring wells using peristaltic pumps, which are cleaned between each use. These monitoring wells were installed around the landfills during the DEW Line Clean-Up Project.
Equipment to be used at the site would include:
- 2 ATVs and/or pickup trucks (to transport personnel and equipment around the site)
- 2 digital cameras (for the visual observation work)
- 2 shovels (for the soil sampling work)
- 2 peristaltic pumps (for the groundwater sampling work)
- 2 laptop computers (for the temperature data downloading work)
DND is applying for a renewal of an existing Class B Water Use License (NWB5CAM0520) from the Nunavut Water Board, for a period of 10 years (from August 2020 until August 2030); the requested period of time includes some contingency in the event that a currently unforeseen requirement arises in the future for an additional monitoring event after August 2025. DND is not applying for any other licenses for this work.
The monitoring team would stay at a hotel in Cambridge Bay All drinking water would be brought in bottles from Cambridge Bay. All fuel for the ATVs/pickup trucks would be purchased in Cambridge Bay.