The City of Guelph and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) are aware of the history of industrial activity at 200 Beverley Street—the former International Malleable Iron Company (IMICo) site. We’ve already performed several studies and cleanup activities as required by the MECP since we became the property owner in 1997.
Environmental Monitoring and Management
We’ve been monitoring and managing the property according to the MECP Certificate of Property Use (CPU).
In some parts of the site, the soil and/or groundwater contain chemicals typically found in gasoline or paint—petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and metal(s).
We regularly conduct groundwater monitoring. All City drinking water wells are at least two kilometres away from this site and and tests confirm that no contamination has reached any of our source water supplies. Guelph’s drinking water is safe, and regular testing shows our tap water meets or does better than the Ontario drinking water standards.
In 2017, the City retained CH2M, now Jacob, to complete environmental site assessments of soil and groundwater in support of the potential redevelopment of the site for industrial to residential land use purposes. Jacobs, working on the City’s behalf, has completed the following environmental investigations, risk assessments, and certifications to obtain a Record of Site Condition (RSC), which was acknowledged by the MECP on August 4, 2022:
- Phase one environmental site assessment
- Phase two environmental site assessment
- Tier 3 Risk Assessment
- Certificate of Property Use
On May 23, 2024, the MECP, together with the City, successfully defended the CPU in OLT Case OLT-22-004659; the CPU was upheld with minor modifications.
For more information check out the reports posted online. New reports will be posted as they become available.
In addition to environmental studies and monitoring, the City is exploring options to market the property to potential investors – developers who understand the benefits of renewing brownfield properties like this one.