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Whitby, Ont. – On Friday, June 24, Durham Region Waste Management staff were updated by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) regarding their review of the technical report that outlines the status of the Abatement Plan phase one activities.

The phase one scope of work was detailed in the Abatement Plan, which was prepared by Covanta. The MOECC-Technical Group is requesting further clarification on several items outlined in this technical report. (A copy of the technical report is available on the project website at www.durhamyorkwaste.ca.)

The phase one technical report is a part of the ongoing investigation and diagnostics of the boiler #1 dioxins and furans exceedance. The Region anticipates a timely response from Covanta regarding the response to MOECC questions, and following a review by the Regions of Durham and York, the phase one technical report points of clarification will be submitted to the MOECC for consideration. Once the MOECC is satisfied with the status of the phase one activities, and that all points of clarification are adequately addressed, a decision on the start-up of boiler #1 is anticipated. At this point, the Regions cannot anticipate what the timeline will be for the restart of boiler #1.

The Abatement Plan phase two investigation and diagnostics will include further testing, inspections and monitoring of several operating parameters which will provide additional insight into the conditions that created the dioxins and furans exceedance. The fulfillment of the abatement plan will only be achieved with the successful completion of a new source test.

Interested residents may sign up to receive email notifications whenever new documents are posted to the Durham York Energy Centre project website. To register for these updates on new documents posted to the website please submit your email address through the subscribe section of the project website https://www.durhamyorkwaste.ca/Home/Subscribe.aspx.

The Durham York Energy Centre, located in Courtice, is Durham Region’s primary long-term disposal option for waste and only processes the household waste remaining after Durham and York Regions’ aggressive composting, recycling and reuse programs. Both regions are leaders in waste diversion with diversion rates consistently above 50 percent. For more information on the Durham York Energy Centre, visit www.durhamyorkwaste.ca, call 1-800-667-5671, or email info@durhamyorkwaste.ca.

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Media inquiries:
The Regional Municipality of Durham
Corporate Communications Office 905-668-7711 or CorporateCommunications@durham.ca