Ch. 3 Land - Environment Yukon

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Low environmental risk, 2 Access/cleanup Tenured land pending, 1 No action Abandoned mines 98 Active 287 57 47 Remediated 407 Figure 3.19 Status of Federal Waste Management Sites 1999 The Federal Waste Management System–Action on Waste The federal Waste Management Program evolved out of the Arctic Environmental Strategy (AES) which ended in 1997. The current program –sometimes referred to as Action on Waste–inventories, assesses and cleans up abandoned waste sites all over the Yukon on a priority basis. The federal government uses the term waste management site for contaminated sites, and 801 sites have been identified in the Yukon to date (Figure 3.19). Another 98 abandoned mine sites are being reviewed. These sites can range from old car bodies to abandoned fuel drums to highly contaminated industrial sites. Sites are given a priority ranking after the seriousness of their environmental impacts have been evaluated. Top priority sites need quick action to stop pollution. Those with a lower priority do not pose an immediate threat to the environment or human health, but still need clean up for other reasons. About half of the sites have been cleaned up to date including Rainy Hollow at a cost of about $2.5 million dollars and Brooks Brook on Teslin Lake at a cost of about $1 million dollars. Two other sites that have been managed under this program are the Old Venus Mine tailings pond on Bennett Lake, and the Watson Lake barrel dump. The definitions for these rankings are: Active – Inventoried site whose actual condition may need to be reviewed, but not considered to be a priority with the existing information. Above left, slinging abandoned drums of fuel from a waste site. Right, cleaning up an abandoned waste site. Active Low Environmental Risk – Site considered to be a minor problem. Risks to human health and safety and the environment considered to be minimal. Assessment/Cleanup Pending – Site known to require assessment or remediation. Tenured Land – Identified site on land held under private ownership, or other type of tenure (such as a lease, permit, First Nation settlement land or mining claim). Remediated – Site has been cleaned up to applicable standards. No Action – Site is not within the jurisdiction of DIAND, or simply needs no action. Abandoned Mines – Former mineral exploration or development-related sites that fall under the jurisdiction of DIAND. Typically, the federal government hires a consultant and contractors to do the assessment and clean up at a site. First Nations also enter into contribution agreements with DIAND to assess and clean up sites on their traditional or settlement lands. 6 0 ❧ Y U K O N S T A T E O F T H E E N V I R O N M E N T R E P O R T 1999
PROGRESS & CHALLENGES Since the 1995 State of the Environment report was published, many significant steps have been taken to control and regulate solid waste and contaminants in the Yukon. Some of the achievements in different areas are listed below: Progress since 1995 City of Whitehorse 1998 Solid Waste Action Plan ■ Tipping fees ■ Waste Watch DIAND Waste Management Program ■ About half of the 800+ waste management sites have been cleaned up Yukon Environment Act Regulations: ■ Beverage Container Regulation – amended in 1996 and 1998 ■ Contaminated Sites Regulations – January 1997 ■ Storage Tanks Regulations – January 1997 ■ Spills Regulations –1997 ■ Solid Waste Regulations – 2000 On-site clean-up: ■ Carcross waterfront ■ Whitehorse fire-training area ■ Whitehorse tank farm Challenges: While many sites could be listed as problem areas in need of attention, some of the more significant sites currently being assessed for clean-up are: ■ Marwell tar pit; ■ War Eagle oil pond at Whitehorse landfill; and ■ DEW Line sites Attitudes – If all Yukoners live by the four Rs of waste reduction, and reduce, reuse, reclaim and recycle as a way of life, we will significantly reduce the amount of waste that we generate. 3.6 Agriculture Agriculture has been part of the Yukon economy since the beginning of nonnative settlement in the mid-19th century. Cultivated crops were grown adjacent to fur trading posts, and the territory met most of its own requirements for vegetables and forage crops during the Gold Rush when most of the Yukon’s 40,000 residents lived in Dawson City. During the 1920s, prior to improvements in the transportation network, extensive local gardens and farms in communities such as Mayo, Dawson, Carcross and at the mouth of the Pelly River provided vegetables, grain and hay for local markets. A very limited amount of agricultural production continued through to the 1960s and 1970s. Since the Yukon agricultural land allocation program was adopted in 1981, farming has increased (Figure 3.20). Locally grown farm products are again available in the Yukon. In 1991 the sale of livestock and animal products accounted for half of annual farm production. Between 1986 and 1996, the land in crops, number of farms, as well as on-farm investment and infrastructure have increased. Steady growth in the numbers of domestic stock, broiler chickens, laying hens, turkeys, grain crops, green feed, forage crops and greenhouse vegetable production have contributed to the overall growth in the industry. The significant increase in sales of farm products reflects the allocation of agricultural land through the Yukon government agricultural land programs (Figure 3.21). Beginning in 1981, individuals with a minimum of one year residency in the Yukon could apply for up to eight 65 hectare parcels for a total of 520 hectares (1,300 acres). As a result, land dispositions were high at the beginning of the program. In 1983 alone, there were 28 agricultural land dispositions for a total of 2,800 hectares. Between the years 1983 and 1991, a total of 6000 hectares of land were disposed of for agriculture. While the availability of farmland in the 1980s boosted the production of farm products, some dispositions Figure 3.20 Growth of Agriculture in the Yukon from 1956-1996 From 1956 to 1996, the number of farms increased from 16 to 160; the total land in crops increased from 204 to 5,678 hectares, and the sale of agricultural products rose from $15,610 in 1961 to $3,536,098 in 1996. There were no data for 1976 and 1981. C H A P T E R 3 L A N D ❧ 6 1
Page 1 and 2: The Yukon is situated in the northw
Page 3 and 4: number of humans is immense. As cou
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Page 11 and 12: 3.4 Mining Mining has been an impor
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Page 31 and 32: with the objective of import replac
Page 33 and 34: still exist along the old trails an
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Ch. 3 Land - Environment Yukon

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