Abbotsford Mayor Urges EPA to Act on Asbestos Dredging

(British Columbia, Canada - January 26, 2011) Mayor George Peary of Abbotsford sent a letter to the provincial environmental ministry to urge U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to act on asbestos dredging.

In compliance with the yearly dredging of the Sumas River, a tributary of the Fraser River in the Canadian province of British Columbia and U.S. State of Washington, the City of Abbotsford will have to carry on heaving asbestos out of the creek this year. Even so, presence of the carcinogen in the river bank will involve city personnel to take special measures to prevent possible well-being hazards.

Previous reports said that the naturally occurring material is carried from a water source in the Sumas Mountain in Washington State, and then drains into the Sumas River and ultimately the Fraser River. Although wet asbestos is not considered hazardous, it can still pose wellbeing risks to the surrounding public once the Sumas River floods and spreads into the sewerage.

Typically, the dredged asbestos is taken to the Valley Road landfill and then covered with soil. Even so, when the material dries, people who inhale the substance may later develop cancer attributed to asbestos. Jim Gordon, City General Manager of Engineering, said that the material can be dangerous. Given that, they will have to take proper measures.

Reports said that the asbestos levels were actually higher in the Sumas River compared with the Swift Creek, a southward-flowing tributary of the Baker River about seven miles long in Whatcom County, Washington. Gordon said that Abbotsford has already contacted U.S. officials to see whether they can reduce the amount of asbestos.