CLIENT: City of Kawartha Lakes
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
PRI Engineering was retained by the City of Kawartha Lakes to peer review the geotechnical, environmental and civil design work for the redevelopment of Bobcaygeon Beach Park — a roughly 7.25-acre waterfront municipal park on a former rail maintenance yard adjacent to Big Bob Channel. PRI delivered earthworks and paving recommendations, a supplementary topsoil sampling and TCLP waste-classification program, risk-based management of contaminated soils, dewatering and construction groundwater guidance, and support for the Parks Canada permit and Indigenous consultation.
CHALLENGE:
The public waterfront park sat on a contaminated former rail maintenance yard directly adjacent to the Bobcaygeon River, requiring cost-effective on-site management of impacted soils without risk to human health or aquatic and terrestrial receptors. PRI also had to reconcile multiple prior consultants’ reports and navigate shoreline works that triggered Parks Canada permitting, Indigenous consultation and archaeological review.
APPROACH:
PRI peer-reviewed the existing geotechnical, environmental and civil design packages and supplemented them with an 18-test-pit topsoil sampling and TCLP waste-classification program. A risk-based soil-management strategy (hard and soft caps) was adopted from the Screening-Level Risk Assessment, fill reuse was benchmarked against OPSS 1010 Select Subgrade Material, and dewatering, construction groundwater monitoring and excess-soil screening were addressed alongside Parks Canada permit support.
OUTCOME:
PRI confirmed the contaminants of concern could be safely managed on-site beneath hard and soft caps, and classified the excess topsoil as solid non-hazardous waste suitable for the City landfill — avoiding costly hazardous disposal. Final earthworks, paving, dewatering and excess-soil recommendations were issued, and the City was supported through groundwater sampling, a cost-savings review, and the Parks Canada RSCP permit and Indigenous consultation process.