Phase I ESA: Helmcken Rd & Burnside Rd W, View Royal, BC

3.5 CIVIC DIRECTORIES

A search of historical local property uses was conducted by the City of Vancouver Public Archives, and available directories from the years 1910-1999 were reviewed. The City of Vancouver Public Archives civic directories search results are presented in Appendix F. Figure 5 below depicts the buildings on-Site and the in the surrounding areas. It should be noted that the CRD webmap tool (used to create the figure) had incorrectly plotted the civic addresses for the houses at 1447 & 1445 Burnside Rd W.

The following listings for the Site gives an approximate time frame for which the houses/residences were first constructed:

• 5 Helmcken Rd was first listed in the directories in 1954 and visible first in the 1956 aerial photograph which indicates it was constructed in the early 1950s,
• 3 Helmcken Rd (the Robalee Apartments) were first listed in the 1974 directories, anecdotal information indicates that the apartment building was constructed in 1970,
• 1445 Burnside Rd W the house was listed as a “new house” in the 1969 directory and anecdotal information indicated that it was constructed around 1969 to 1970. The 1968 aerial photograph shows that construction was underway on the house,
• 1447 Burnside Rd W is the original house on the property which was first listed in the 1959 directories. This home was first visible on the 1946 aerial photograph. It should be noted that the block numbers change in the directory in 1945, which makes interpreting the information from the directories prior to 1949 difficult,
• 1449 Burnside Rd W first shows up on the 1969 directory listed as Henson William Building Contractor. It is first visible in the 1968 aerial photograph and Robert Henson indicated that it was constructed around 1966. The house at this location was originally listed as the location of the family business until the mid-1970s. In 1979, Henson W building contractors moved to the residence to the north at 1480 Burnside Rd W where it remained until the last directory listing. The Robalee Apartments were constructed 1969-1970 by the Henson family, thus it is inferred that the business at 1449 Burnside Rd W was related to the construction of the apartment building.

Figure 5. Civic addresses at the Site and surrounding areas used in the public directory search

McElhanney also reviewed the directories for the surrounding area. Primarily the listings were for residential properties and businesses associated with rural residential communities such as a plant nursery, a dairy farm, grocery and general stores, churches, and a few general contractors. No listings for the Site or surrounding areas were of environmental concern to the Site.

4. Site Visit

McElhanney personnel conducted a Site visit on February 24th, 2018. Field reconnaissance was limited to visual and olfactory observations. The following sections summarize observations. Select Site photographs captured during the Site visit are presented in Appendix A.

4.1 PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

The Site was first developed in the 1940s and land use at the time included a single residential home and cattle pasture/agricultural land. The Site and neighbouring land to the north and east are currently owned by the Henson family. Information obtained in a review of the public directories as well as anecdotal information provided by Robert Henson indicates that the Henson family has owned and occupied buildings on the Site and neighbouring properties since approximately the early 1950s.

Additional single-family residential homes were built in the 1950s and 1960s. The Henson family also constructed and managed a 12-unit apartment building on-Site in 1970. Members of the Henson family continue to reside in several homes in the area but primarily rent the residencies on the Site to various tenants.

The Site is bounded by Helmcken Rd to the south and Burnside Rd W to the east. The surrounding neighbouring property use was identified as mainly residential to the south and west. Land use to the north and east are agricultural. There was a dairy farm historically located to the east of the Site. Mr. Robert Henson now resides in a home to the east of the Site where he has some cattle which use the lot for grazing.

4.1.1 Topography, Fill Areas, and Local Geology

Imported fill presents environmental concern if the quality of fill is unknown. The general Site topography was undulating with a rocky outcrop on the west of the Site. On the southeast corner of the Site there is a retaining wall and the intersection of Helmcken Rd and Burnside Rd W is approximately 1 m higher than the yard at the Site. This indicates that when the road was upgraded in 1980, fill was brought in within the road right of way.

A large natural hill is located to the southeast of the Site. Despite the undulating and hilly local topography, the regional topography gradually slopes south towards Portage Inlet. According to Mr. Henson, the gravel fill observed in the center of the Site is road-based fill that was put in place as part of the developing the plant nursery in the mid-2000s. Anecdotal information obtained from the land owner, indicated that the area was regraded to develop the plant nursery.

The Henson family has operated contracting companies for over 50 years, currently under the legal name J&R Henson Construction Ltd. As part of business operations, loads of mixed soil/fill materials were deposited on the Site for segregation. The aerial photograph record shows this land use occurring from around the year 2005 until approximately 2016 (as seen in Figure 6).

Mr. Henson indicated that initially some of the soil stockpiles at the Site were generated from regrading the plant nursery area. The photograph record indicates that the soils included woody debris/field stones, mineral soil, and top soil which was confirmed by Mr. Henson during the Site visit. Mr. Henson indicated that the segregated materials were reused for landscaping. Contaminated fills are not suspected to have been placed on the Site, therefore this land use is not considered to be of environmental concern.

Figure 6. Soil segregation activities historically occurring on the northwest portion of the Site.

4.1.2 Buildings and Structures

At the time of the Site visit, several buildings and structures were present on the Site. There was a total of nine structures which consisted of four single-family residential homes, a twelve-unit apartment building, two detached garages, and a couple of sheds. There is also a large fenced area on the west side of the Site on #5 Helmcken Rd that was formerly used as a plant nursery.

The apartment building is a two-storey, stucco/cedar shake sided building with a tar and gravel roof. The home at 1447 Burnside Rd W has asbestos cement siding. The home at 1449 Burnside Rd W has stucco siding with shingle roof construction. There was concrete/stucco siding with shingle roof at the home on 1445 Burnside R W. The home at 5 Helmcken Rd appeared to be wood shingles with a shingle roof construction.

Several out buildings were on the Site which included a detached garage, some sheds, a shipping container and a weathered Quonset hut made of canvas on a metal frame.

4.1.3 Services and Utilities

The Site is serviced with electricity via BC Hydro. Sanitary and storm water services are provided by View Royal. The Site was connected to the municipal sanitary sewer system in 1980 when the roadways bounding the Site were upgraded. Mr. Henson indicated that the former septic field and tank for the apartment building is in the lawn to the south of the building and were left in place. It is inferred that the homes along Burnside Rd W would have had septic fields in the back yards (to the west of the homes).

4.1.4 Heating and Cooling Systems

The following heating systems were noted during the Site visit:

• 5 Helmcken Rd building is heated via electric baseboards,
• 3 Helmcken Rd building is heated via electric baseboards and the hot water tanks are heated with fuel from an above ground storage tank (AST),
• 1445 Burnside Rd W building is heated via electric baseboards, there is an abandoned home heating oil AST in the crawlspace which is inferred to have been formerly used to heat the house.
• 1447 Burnside Rd W building is heated via electric baseboards,
• 1449 Burnside Rd W building is heated a forced air furnace that is fueled by home heating oil.

4.1.5 Mechanical Equipment.

No mechanical equipment was present on the Site.

4.1.6 Underground Storage Tanks

Underground storage tanks (USTs) have the potential to affect soil and or groundwater if the contents of the UST leak into the surrounding environment or the tank is accidentally spilled during fill up. No indications of USTs were observed on the Site.

In addition, an inquiry regarding the availability of fire insurance maps for the Site was made through ERIS. Historical fire insurance plans are used to identify historical USTs if present on the Site or surrounding properties. No fire insurance plans were available for the Site or surrounding area. A letter response provided by ERIS is included in Appendix F. No evidence of historical USTs was indicated from available historical information.

4.1.7 Above Ground Storage Tanks

The presence of above-ground storage tanks (ASTs) could pose environmental concern if leakage onto underlying soils had occurred. Three home heating oil ASTs were observed on the Site:

• 3 Helmcken Rd 1000 L heating oil tank. Located on the ground-floor and used to heat the hot water tanks. The tank is in relatively good condition but there are a few small stains under the tank. The tank is on a concrete floor but directly adjacent to the tank is a gravel floor. It is inferred that this tank is not the original one and that an older tank would have been replaced with this tank as some point in time. This is an area of potential environmental concern (APEC) to the broader Site,
• 1445 Burnside Rd W abandoned home heating oil AST in the crawlspace which is an APEC for the Site,
• 1449 Burnside Rd W 1000 L heating oil tank. Located on the northwest corner of the building. The original tank was leaking as was replaced with the current tank. This is considered an APEC for the Site.

4.2 EXTERIOR OBSERVATIONS

4.2.1 Surface Staining and Site Vegetation

The presence of stains on road surfaces or porous media such as soil and gravel may be indicative of environmental contamination caused by leaks or spills. Furthermore, stressed vegetation or an absence of vegetation may be regarded as viable bio-indicators for the presence of contaminated environmental media.

The Site was mainly comprised of grass covered lawn, a parking lot, and gravelled surfaces. Recent precipitation on exterior surfaces made it difficult to identify any potentially stained surfaces. In the ground floor of the apartment building there was extensive staining/moisture observed on the concrete and gravel surfaces. Staining was primarily attributed to leaking water tanks and moisture from the ground. There was small staining inferred to be from hydrocarbons under the AST.

In the crawl space under the home at 1445 Burnside Rd W there was staining on the concrete floor, there is an abandoned AST in the area which was not accessible, thus it cannot be concluded if the staining is due to moisture, a leaking tank or a combination of both.

4.2.2 Pits, Lagoons, Waste Water and Liquid Discharges

Pits and lagoons may warrant environmental concern if they are used to collect streams of waste water or liquid waste streams. No pits or lagoons were observed at the Site or on adjacent properties.

4.3 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND SPECIAL ATTENTION ITEMS

Hazardous materials listed under the BC Hazardous Waste Regulation (HWR) such as asbestos or lead paint may be present in structures built before 1990. In addition, the BC HWR defines hazardous waste as dangerous goods that are no longer used for their original purpose. These wastes require special consideration for disposal and are commonly produced as part of regular commercial/industrial business operations. Examples of some common hazardous wastes include waste oil, oily rags/filters, used paints/thinners, and spent aerosols.

No hazardous materials were observed during the Site visit. Special attention substances such as asbestos, urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead and mercury are potentially present on the Site due to the age of the structures. It is recommended that prior to the future building demolition that a hazardous material assessment be conducted to rule out the possibility of the presence of potential hazardous materials.

4.3.1 Radon

Radon is a known carcinogen and is estimated to cause up to 10% of all lung cancers in Canada. It is a radioactive gas that is produced by the decay of uranium. Radon is naturally occurring within certain soil and rock formations. It has the potential to percolate through soil into buildings if it is not evacuated. Fortunately, high radon levels can be easily tested for, allowing for mitigation. Health Canada’s guideline for the acceptable level of indoor radon in a normal living area has changed from 800 Bq/m3 to 200 Bq/m3 (guidelines changed in 2009). Elevated radon levels are not typical within the Victoria region (BC Center for Disease Control), and radon is not considered to pose an environmental concern to the Site.

4.3.2 Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

PCBs may be present in electrical components such as pad-mounted or overhead transformers. Several pole mounted transformers were observed surrounding the Site, however; as the transformers are maintained by and the responsibility of BC Hydro, they are not considered to be an environmental concern to the Site.

4.3.3 Chemical Storage Containers

No major sources of chemical storage were observed on the Site. In the yard at #5 Helmcken Rd there was a variety of debris discarded and overgrown with blackberries. This included an old rusted drum and several rusted chemical containers. There was a 20 L metal kerosene pail and the other containers were inferred to be for lawn care or home maintenance. This area had poor housekeeping which included improperly discarded chemical waste containers and is an APEC for the Site.

4.4 NEIGHBOURING PROPERTIES

Properties neighbouring the Site were observed for indications of current and/or historical land use activities that could potentially represent off-site sources of contamination. A summary of neighbouring property land uses are presented in Table 3 below.

Table 3. Neighbouring Properties

Based on the available information, the surrounding current and historical property usage is not considered to have environmentally impacted the Site, and no off-Site APECs have been identified.

4.5 BC CSR SCHEDULE 2 ACTIVITIES

BC Contaminated Sites Regulations identifies Schedule 2 Activities for commercial or industrial sites and are regarded under the regulation as showing potential to release contaminants into the environment. Schedule 2 Activities, thus, are subject to scrutiny in the context of environmental site assessment. No current or historical Schedule 2 Activities were identified during this investigation.

5. Interviews

5.1.1 Mr. Robert Henson

Mr. Robert Henson, land owner and property manager of the Robalee Apartments accompanied McElhanney personnel during the Site investigation and answered questions pertaining to the current and historical Site use and operation. Mr. Henson grew up on the Site and currently lives on the neighbouring land to the east. His parent and grandparents also lived on the land and the family originally moved to the area in the early 1950s. Anecdotal information provided during the Site investigation has been included within the relevant sections of this report.

The Henson family has also operated contracting businesses on the Site. The first was Henson W Building Contractors which owned by William Henson and operated out of the home at 1449 Burnside Rd W from around 1969 to the mid-1970s. The business then moved to a newly constructed home at 1480 Burnside Rd W (north of the Site) and was in operation until the early 1990s. The second contracting business is owned and operated by Julie and Robert Henson (J&R Henson Construction Ltd). For a period, they operated a plant nursery on the Site (circa 2005). The business also brought soil materials onto the northwest portion of the Site to be segregated and reused in landscaping (i.e. top soils, field stones and woody debris were separated on Site into various stockpiles).

5.1.2 Eddie Trembay

Mr. Trembay is the long-time resident at 1445 Burnside Rd W and has lived on-Site for 18 years. Mr. Trembay provided McElhanney with access to his home and indicated that there was an AST in the crawl space under the home. He provided McElhanney access to the crawl space by removing a side panel on the south side of the home so that photographs of the tanks and the crawl space could be obtained. The crawl space was not entered due to the small space and extensive storage of materials in the space and confined space considerations. Mr. Trembay indicated that the tank had not been used for his entire tenancy. The land owner (Mr. Henson) was present during this time and indicated that he had been unaware that a tank was in the crawl space under the house. It is inferred by all parties that this had previously been a heating oil tank.

5.1.3 Tracy Bruno

Ms. Tracy Bruno has been a tenant at 1449 Burnside Rd W for 8 years. She indicated that the home heating oil AST was replaced approximately 7 years ago when the original tank was identified as having a leak. To the best of her knowledge the tank was replaced relatively quickly after a leak was detected but there was no soil remediation conducted in the area of the leaking tank.

6. Summary and Conclusions

McElhanney was retained by Highstreet Ventures Inc. to conduct a Phase I ESA of the property located at the intersection of Helmcken Road and Burnside Road W, View Royal, BC. McElhanney conducted visual observations of land in and adjacent to the Site, a comprehensive review of historical records, interviews, and a Site visit.

It is McElhanney’s opinion that, based on the findings of this Phase I ESA, historical and current activities present a potential risk of impacting environmental media at the Site and further environmental investigation is warranted. Based on our assessment of the Site, four areas of potential environmental concern (APEC) were identified that require further investigation and is presented in Table 4 and Figure 7.

Table 4. Areas of potential environmental concern

Figure 7. Areas of potential environmental concern.

A limited Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (Limited Phase II ESA) is recommended to quantitatively assess surficial soils at the identified APEC locations. The collected soil samples would be analyzed by an accredited laboratory. Potential contaminants of concern will be determined during the planning stages of the Phase II ESA.

7. Limitations of Report

This report was prepared by McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. ("McElhanney") for the exclusive use of Highstreet Ventures Inc. and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written consent of McElhanney, or used or relied upon in whole or in part by a party other than Highstreet Ventures Inc. Any unauthorized use of this report, or any part hereof, by a third party, or any reliance on or decisions to be made based on it, are at the sole risk of such third parties. McElhanney accepts no responsibility for damages, if any, suffered by any third party as a result of decisions made or actions based on this report, in whole or in part.

This report is intended to provide a preliminary assessment of potential environmental concerns at the subject properties. This report is not meant to represent a legal opinion regarding compliance with applicable laws nor to judge the acceptability of risk associated with any potential contamination. Note that environmental statutes, regulations and guidelines, and the interpretation of such environmental statutes, regulations and guidelines, are subject to change over time and such changes, when put into effect, could alter the conclusions and recommendations noted in this report.

The investigation program followed the standard of care expected of professionals undertaking similar work in British Columbia under similar conditions. No warranties, either express or implied, are made as to the professional services provided and included in this report.

This report is based on data and information collected during the investigation conducted by McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. personnel or agents and is based solely on the conditions of the subject properties at the time of the site work completed, as described in this report. McElhanney has relied in good faith on information provided by individuals and third parties noted in this report. McElhanney accepts no responsibility for any deficiency, misstatements or inaccuracy contained in this report because of omissions or errors in information provided by third parties or for omissions, misstatements or fraudulent acts of persons interviewed. The compliance of past owners with applicable environmental statutes, regulations or guidelines was not within the scope of the services provided for this report.

Achieving the objectives stated in this report has required us to arrive at conclusions based upon the best information presently known to us. No investigative method can eliminate the possibility of obtaining partially imprecise or incomplete information; it can only reduce the possibility to an acceptable level. Professional judgment was exercised in gathering and analyzing the information obtained and in the formulation of the conclusions. Like all professional persons rendering advice, we do not act as absolute insurers of the conclusions we reach, but we commit ourselves to care and competence in reaching those conclusions

The scope of work for this Phase I ESA did not include any subsurface investigation and testing (of soils, groundwater or other materials), and it was based on a limited review of regulatory files. The findings cannot be extended to portions of the site which were unavailable for observation at the time of McElhanney's field investigations. If new information is discovered in the future during site excavations, building demolition or other activities, or if additional subsurface investigations or testing are conducted by others, McElhanney should be requested to re-evaluate the conclusions of this report and to provide amendments as required prior to any reliance upon the information presented herein.

8. Professional Statement

In conformance with applicable regulations we confirm that:

• This Phase I ESA Report has been prepared in accordance with the applicable standards; and
• The undersigned have demonstrable experience in investigation of the type of contamination at the Site for which this statement applies and are familiar with the investigation carried out at the Site.

Should there be any questions regarding the information within, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.

Yours truly,

MCELHANNEY CONSULTING SERVICES LTD.

Sandra Hemstock, M.Sc., R.P.Bio Environmental Scientist

J. Dan Clowater, P.Eng. Senior Environmental Engineer