Iqaluit councilors applaud dumpcano firefighters

A settling pond at Iqaluit’s dump collects waste water run-off from fresh water sprayed onto the smouldering garbage pile Sept. 14. The fire was extinguished Sept. 16. (PHOTO BY PETER VARGA)

Many Iqalungmiut loved to hate the four-month-old landfill fire that came to be known as “dumpcano,” but that love has gone up in smoke now that the fire is extinguished.

The last smouldering ash was laid to rest Sept. 16, some 13 days ahead of schedule, Mike Noblett of Global Forensics Inc. reported Sept. 18 at a special meet of city council, alongside deputy fire chief George Seigler.

Noblett, contracted by the city to manage the fire-extinguishing operation, began tackling the fire Aug. 31 with the help of firefighters from Alberta-based Hellfire Suppression Services and from the city.

“Crews found burning material throughout the entire mass, right down to the permafrost,” Noblett said.

Air-monitor reports from Environment Canada confirmed that potentially-toxic smoke was kept within the landfill site itself, or very close to it, throughout the operation, Noblett said — a major concern for many Iqaluit residents.

With time, Iqalungmiut might even come to love the landfill again, but in a different way.

“This is a landfill and is to be managed so that in the future the land area can be used,” Noblett said.

“Build a park on top of it, extend your industrial area. It’s land that can be used later, that’s why it’s called a landfill.”

Staff at the landfill continue to work through the final steps of the operation, Noblett reported.

The extinguished pile must continue to be flattened, to be made as aerodynamic as possible and then have a layer of “earthen material,” 12 to 18 inches thick, applied to the sides and top, he said.

Material within the pile will continue to decompose and, in the process, produce heat naturally but these measures will prevent wind from entering the pile, potentially starting another fire.

“There’s work to be completed as quickly as possible to ensure the fire stays out,” Noblett said.

That work was expected to last another three or four days, he added, and the landfill should be able to accept more material by Sept. 22.

Noblett said the operation was helped by two important factors: a change in water supply and good weather.

Favourable winds kept smoke away from the city and enabled fire fighters to work quickly.

And once Noblett and his team realized that nearby Carney Creek could supply enough fresh water for the operation, his job became somewhat easier.

Salt water from Frobisher Bay would have damaged equipment, been an eye and skin irritant to workers and made the working area more slippery, Noblett said.

Firefighters also would have lost up to six hours of the working day as water receded to low tide, out of reach.

But by using fresh water from Carney Creek, crews pumped about 1,000 gallons per minute for 11 to 12 hours a day, Noblett said.

There were some hiccups along the way.

One of the draughting ponds — where fresh water for firefighting was stored — began leaking during the first week of operation into the ground, where water running off of the garbage pile may have contaminated it.

Noblett began a 24-hour pumping program and installed a new retention pond along the causeway to protect Carney Creek.

This retention pond will also collect water as it continues to leach from the extinguished pile over the next couple of days, Noblett said.

Next summer the water in the retention pond will be treated and then released, he added.

Landfill staff have also been tasked with and instructed in constant temperature monitoring of all garbage piles and are to report to Seigler daily to ensure another fire doesn’t start.

“Staff were able to take some of the knowledge back” from the contracted experts Seigler said. “There was a transfer of knowledge.”

But Noblett said Iqalungmiut must participate in garbage sorting so landfill staff can properly manage the landfill site.

“There can be no secrets about what’s in your garbage,” Noblett said.

At the end of Noblett’s report, councillors breathed a sigh of relief and gave him a round of applause.

“All the residents of Iqaluit thank you for putting this fire out,” Coun. Stevenson said. “Thank you.”