Feds clean up highway dumping grounds
Bullet-riddled appliances used as target practice creating mess, government says
Daniel Campbell
Northern News Services
Published Tuesday, October 15, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It served as Yellowknife's own personal war zone for some, but now the federal government plans to clean it up and block it off.
The federal department of Natural Resources say it plans to block off and clean up this site off Highway 3, just outside Yellowknife. Illegal dumping and shooting has created an environmental issue. - Daniel Campbell/NNSL photo
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A short drive from the city, about 10 km east of downtown off the right side of Highway 3, there's an area the government says has become an eyesore. The site is littered with thousands of spent casings, dozens of bullet-riddled dishwashers, stoves, and oil drums.
David McCormack, director of the Canadian Hazards Information Service with Natural Resources Canada, said the federal government has control over the area and it would rather people not use it. It's near some of Yellowknife's seismic monitors.
"It's our land and it's our responsibility," he said.
"It's turning into a bit of a mess for everybody."
The government has paid out a $75,000 contract to KBL Environmental Ltd. to remove the waste and block off the site for future access. In the interim, large rocks have been placed at the entrance to the site temporarily, blocking vehicles from getting in.
It's apparent some Yellowknifers use it as a free dump, while others use the dumped material as free target practice.
"It's become a bit of an issue from an environmental perspective," McCormack said.
"We don't want it used in the future."
The cleanup started on Oct. 7. McCormack said because the area is easily accessible by vehicles, it will be blocking it off during and after the project is done.
