(update to BG–01.013)
BG–09.048 - June 29, 2009
Background
During the Cold War, North America relied on radar networks to provide an early warning of airborne attacks inbound over the North Pole. From the early 1950s, a series of isolated radar stations were constructed in Canada, Alaska, and Greenland to identify unfriendly aircraft and direct fighter planes that would intercept them.
The most northerly of the networks, the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line of radar sites, was established in the late 1950s and extended along the Arctic coastline (roughly along the 69th parallel) from northwestern Alaska to Iceland. The DEW Line was planned, built and largely funded by the United States according to an international agreement. Out of the 63 sites which comprised the DEW Line, 42 were located within Canadian territory.
In the early 1960s, 21 of these sites were decommissioned and became the responsibility of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. The remaining 21 sites continued to be operated by the Department of National Defence (DND) until they were replaced by the North Warning System in 1993.
Condition of Sites and Clean-Up
Over the lifespan of the DEW line, the sites were operated using practices and materials accepted by the environmental standards of the time. The environmental standards of today are not those of yesterday – they are much more rigourous in accordance with current environmental knowledge and are entrenched in Federal, Territorial, and Provincial law. DND has undertaken a clean-up project at the 21 DEW line sites under its responsibility – the environmental standards that define this clean-up project are based upon sound scientific and engineering expertise and traditional Inuit and Inuvialuit knowledge. In addition, this clean-up and all of the environmental standards that govern it were agreed to by all stakeholders including the Inuit, the Inuvialuit, and DND.
In 1989, DND started investigating the environmental conditions of the DEW Line sites and commenced clean-up work at two sites in 1996. Clean-up work at each site typically consists of the demolition of surplus infrastructure, the remediation of chemically contaminated soils, the stabilization of existing landfill sites, the construction of new, engineered landfills, and the shipment of certain contaminated soil and debris to southern disposal facilities.
One common concern at these sites is the presence of soil contaminated with oil and gas products, known as hydrocarbons. Other hazardous materials that may be found at some of the sites include dials or switches, batteries, antifreeze agents, solvents, PCBs, and heavy metals (such as lead and mercury). It is important to address this contamination to reduce risk to nearby communities and prevent impacts to the local environment. The clean-up of the 21 former DEW Line sites is defined by two Cooperation Agreements. The first, reached in February 1996, covers both environmental and economic provisions for the six radar sites within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories and Yukon.
The second agreement was reached in September 1998 between DND and the Inuit, represented by Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. This agreement covers only the environmental provisions to clean-up and restore the 15 radar sites within the territory of Nunavut. The economic provisions were agreed upon under a separate document signed August 31, 2001.
The clean-up was designed to keep chemical contamination from the DEW Line sites out of the Arctic food chain, and ensure that the sites are restored to an environmentally-safe condition.
The clean-up of the 21 sites is scheduled to be completed in 2013. Currently, 14 sites have been cleaned up and the remaining seven are on-going. Monitoring of the remediated sites is a requirement of the Cooperation Agreements and is an effective mechanism in ensuring that the standards defined within these agreements have been met.
Cost of Clean-Up
It is estimated that the clean-up of all former DEW Line radar sites within both the territory of Nunavut and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region will cost about $580 million. DND agreements with the Inuvialuit and the Inuit address the Aboriginal content in the respective contracts.
Conclusion
DND acknowledges its responsibility to address its environmental legacy in the North, which is a result of past operational practices. It continues working with Inuit and Inuvialuit across the North to complete this clean-up for the benefit of present and future generations.
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