Chalk River, ON – May 10, 2024 – As a further update to the Community Bulletin issued on April 24, 2024 related to the non-compliance of sampling from the conventional Sanitary Sewage Treatment Facility (SSTF) at Chalk River Laboratories, CNL can now confirm that the two most recent samples of effluent (treated discharge) have passed the necessary environmental testing and are within regulatory requirements.
These results demonstrate that the micro-fauna within the facility continues to improve, and that CNL’s ongoing improvement measures are steadily returning the SSTF back to routine operations. Though this progress is positive, CNL does expect it to take several weeks before the facility is restored to full health, and is operating in full regulatory compliance.
This non-compliance is not related to radiological contaminants. Work to identify the root cause of the disruption to the micro-fauna within the facility remains underway, while CNL continues to carefully return various drains across the campus back into service. CNL also continues to dedicate extensive personnel and resources to monitor the situation, which includes the growth and replication rates of the SSTF’s micro-fauna, to ensure the health and well-being of the bacteria population is rebuilt.
CNL continues to provide regular updates on its activities to all of the relevant regulatory agencies, and is also providing ongoing updates to local communities, as well as Indigenous communities and organizations. CNL has also extended invitations to Indigenous Nations and local communities to visit and tour the facility.
The discharge from the sewage treatment facility does not pose a threat to the environment or the public.
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Contact:
Philip Kompass
Director, Corporate Communications
1-866-886-2325
media@cnl.ca