PFAS
Definition: PFAS represents a large group of man-made, fluorine-containing chemicals. PFOS is a specific 8-carbon sulfonated surfactant within that group.
The contamination of Trout Lake with PFOS (Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid). Legacy use of firefighting foam at the North Bay Airport has resulted in contamination of streams flowing from airport property. PFOS is reaching Trout Lake via Lees Creek and poses environmental and health risks. Fish bioaccumulation has resulted in fish consumption advisories. The TLCA is following the issue closely and is advocating for better communications to the public and cleanup of firefighting legacy sites
North Bay’s Agreement with DND to address PFAS contamination affecting City drinking water has been extended to 2037 On December 9th North Bay City Council approved two new agreements with DND. The first will allow the city to continue to remediate PFAS (polyfluoroalkylated substances) contamination at the Airport. The second will trial supplemental treatment options at its water plant on Lakeside Drive. An existing $20- million remediation agreement is being boosted to $122 million and extended to 2037 to deal with more contaminated sites at the Airport. The second agreement, for 2 years, totals $8.2 million. It will allow the city to trial options to comply with new federal guidelines for PFAS (30 ug/L for 25 PFAS chemicals). Sites on the remediation list suggests that a majority of the contamination on City owned land will be dealt with at source. The TLCA is delighted by these developments. The existing water treatment plant on Lakeside Drive, which opened in 2010, does not remove PFAS chemicals from city drinking water. Funding to construct supplemental treatment will be subject to a future request, once a suitable treatment method has been selected. The federal government is picking up 97% of the total cost, while the city is contributing 3%. The federal government, thus, is “owning up” to a problem of its making, which dates back to federal ownership of the Airport. These announcements could be viewed as an early federal Christmas present to the City of North Bay, which came as a surprise to local groups. Agencies involved with monitoring PFAS cleanup activities held an open house in late November, which could have been an ideal venue for announcing the new funding? While hints were given in November that more funding would be available in the future, we found the timing and the magnitude of the latest announcements surprising. Our guess is that the city was reluctant to make any announcements until the deal was confirmed in writing. On November 19, the Department of National Defense (DND) and the City of North Bay co-hosted a public information session at the Best Western Hotel on Lakeshore Drive. The event had a good public turnout. Residents were updated on work DND is doing to study how PFAS is moving off of its property. The city updated progress it is making to remediate PFAS contamination at the Jack Garland Airport. Presenters summarized remediation work completed to date as well as expected next steps. Thus far remediation has not impacted PFAS levels in Trout Lake, but testing is ongoing and agencies are watching closely. In 2025, remediation work focused on the firefighter training site (referred to as the FFTA) in the Lees Creek headwaters. An estimated 26,000 tonnes of contaminated soil were excavated and trucked away. Contaminated sediment was also removed from a stormwater management pond below this site. Barrier pilots that are looking at how to prevent contaminated groundwater from reaching Lees Creek have been installed as have treatment systems to remove PFAS from Lees Creek base flows. The list of sites to be remediated over the next decade includes more work at the Firefighter Training Area (FFTA), at the Former Firefighter Training Area (FFFTA) (east of the existing cleanup site), at the Alert Hangers (at the east end of the runways in Doran Creek watershed) and at the former DND Firehouse near the base pool. We note that these sites are all on former DND lands and none of the approved funding will address contamination on the remaining 22 Wing property. It is our understanding that DND will also be undertaking works to address contamination emanating from the Base. Agencies sampled PFAS in Lees Creek and Trout Lake throughout 2025. We hope to obtain this information and provide more details in our Spring Newsletter in March.