iii

Phase I Environment Site Assessment of

343 Glendale Avenue, St. Catharines,
Ontario
Completed by: Travis Bico
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Executive Summary:
Katie Altoft of Niagara College and Professor of Environmental Management
assigned the task of conducting a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) on
a property of choice. The chosen property is at 343 Glendale Avenue, in Mountain
Lock Plaza housing a Starbucks caf, in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Phase I ESAs allow for the property to be observed without any specific testing to
determine the potential of environmental contamination that may be present from
past activities, or past activities that are still continuing to occur today. By compiling
non-intrusive data and comparing it to practical data from topographical,
hydrological and geological maps, recommendations can be given.
Under accordance of the guidelines and procedures given in the Canadian
Standards Association, document Z768-01, an appropriate scope of work was
created. The scope of work includes:

A records review of the property

An interview and site visit
Evaluation of information
Preparation of the Phase I ESA report with recommendations
Submission of Phase I ESA report

The site is known to the assessor as a place of employment and the store itself has
been functional since April, 2014, while the plaza has been present since 2009.
There are no plans for repurposing of the property itself. In its past the property was
part of the Old Welland Canal until it became a paper mill for Domtar Incorporated.
It was then demolished and remediated for construction of the plaza that is there
today.
Surrounding land use consists primarily of residential and commercial use. To the
north a fenced in bog or wetland exists and an opening to the Old Welland Canal.
The location itself is relatively flat, with a slight downslope to the northwest, in the
direction of the Old Welland Canal.
From the information gathered in the records review, interview and site visit, areas
of potential environmental concern (APEC) and potentially contaminating activities
(PCA) have been found to occur in the past. All documented APECs and PCAs were
from past use and a record of site condition (RSC) indicates that contaminates were
largely, metals, volatile organic compounds (VOC), petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC),
benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX) and pH altering substances. From
remediation processes, these substances should no longer be present on site,
however, construction on the adjacent property and the pile of debris accumulated
at the edge of the property could potentially leach contaminates if they were still
present in the soil. Furthermore, an onsite dumpster, not used by Starbucks, has
been postulated to be a site of illegal waste disposal by unlawful citizens.
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Based on the findings through the records review, site visit and interview, two
APECs have been identified and it is recommended further information about the
area be gathered before a decision be made to follow with a Phase II ESA.

Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Property information......................................................................................... 1
1.2 Objective........................................................................................................... 1
2.0 Scope of Work....................................................................................................... 1
2.1 Background and Records Review.......................................................................1
2.2 Interview........................................................................................................... 1
2.3 Site Visit............................................................................................................ 2
2.4 Evaluation of Information..................................................................................2
3.0 Qualifications of the Assessor............................................................................... 2
4.0 Records Review.................................................................................................... 2
4.1 Phase I Study Area Determination.....................................................................2
4.2 Aerial Photographs............................................................................................ 3
4.3 Environmental Reports...................................................................................... 4
4.4 First Developed Use Determination...................................................................5
4.5 Fire Insurance Plans, Company Records and Inspection Reports.......................5
4.6 Chain of Title..................................................................................................... 5
4.7 Well Records...................................................................................................... 6
4.8 Permits, Approvals and Regulatory Records......................................................6
4.9 Survey Plan....................................................................................................... 6
4.10 Topography, Hydrology and Geology...............................................................6
5.0 Site Visit............................................................................................................... 6
5.1 Hazardous Materials and Designated Substances.............................................6
5.2 Exterior Observations........................................................................................ 6
5.3 Interior Observations......................................................................................... 7
5.4 Limitations......................................................................................................... 7
6.0 Interview.............................................................................................................. 8
7.0 Findings................................................................................................................ 8
8.0 Evaluation of Findings........................................................................................... 8
8.1 Current and Past Uses....................................................................................... 8
8.2 Areas of Potential Environmental Concern........................................................9
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9.0 Conclusions.......................................................................................................... 9
10.0 References and Supporting Documentation.....................................................10
11.0 Figures.............................................................................................................. 11
Figure 1................................................................................................................. 11
Figure 2................................................................................................................. 12
Figure 3................................................................................................................. 12
12.0 Appendices....................................................................................................... 14
Appendix A............................................................................................................ 14
Aerial Photographs............................................................................................. 14
Topographical Map of Site..................................................................................17
Hydrological Map................................................................................................ 17
Site Photographs................................................................................................ 18
Appendix B............................................................................................................ 23
Title Search........................................................................................................ 23
Appendix C............................................................................................................ 25
Interview Form................................................................................................... 28
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1.0 Introduction
1.1 Property information
The property at 343 Glendale in St. Catharines, Ontario, currently comprises the
commercial outlet, known as the Mountain Lock Plaza. It is currently owned by
Crombie REIT, who leases the property for commercial uses under the management
of Karen Solursh-Smith. The plaza consists mainly of the Sobeys grocery store, and
houses a total of 15 stores and services. Under this review, the area in question is
leased to the Starbucks Corporation, who occupy, and are responsible for the north-
east end unit of the plaza. The site includes the store itself, as well as the
surrounding parking lot that loops around the side of the unit consisting of 20
parking spaces. This can be seen in Fig. 1.
1.2 Objective
The Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is being completed to observe
any potential environmental contaminates that may have appeared on the property
since its construction in 2009. Before its construction a Phase I, Phase II ESAs were
completed by Ian Macdonald of Water and Earth Science Associates Limited, and a
Phase III ESA was completed by Dr. Andrew W. Panko of Associated Brownfields
Services Limited. Areas of potential environment concern (APEC) will be looked for
and the report will follow the guidelines outlined in the CSA document Z768-01.
After findings, recommendations will be given, which may entail a Phase II ESA to
identify potential contaminates.
The purpose of the Phase I ESA is to compile an in-depth understanding of the site
and its activities, so APECs or potentially contaminating activities (PCAs) can be
postulated and recommendations can be given. Upon completion the report will be
submitted to Niagara College for grading.
An enhanced investigation will not be needed due to the current uses in partial and
throughout the entire property due not entail uses mentioned in Ontario Reg.
154/04 that require enhanced investigations.

2.0 Scope of Work

2.1 Background and Records Review
Background information will be looked for using a title search at the Land Registry
Office at 59 Church Street, St. Catharines, Ontario. Prior Phase I ESAs or reports
regarding the site in question will be looked for.
Aerial photographs will be obtained from Niagara Navigator and collection of
photographs at Brock University. Topographical and geographical maps will be
looked for at Brock University and Niagara College, while hydrological will be
observed using the Ontario Flow Assessment Tool III from the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Forestry.
2.2 Interview
An interview was conducted with the following person of interest:
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Dean Macintyre of the Starbucks Corporation Store Manger

The interview will be conducted with the Store Manager of the property instead of
the owner from Crombie REIT because of their familiarity with the property and its
uses. The site manager, Karen Solursh-Smith operates from her office in Mississauga
and did not seem like a suitable candidate for discussing PCAs and property-specific
incidents that may have occurred and resulted in contamination. She will be
contacted to ask for company records. Details of the interview with Dean Macintyre
will be presented in Section 6.0 and the completed form is shown in Appendix C.
Questions regarding operations around and within the site, the use and storage of
any chemical or contaminating products, surround and past property-use and any
PCAs around or on site. It should also be noted the Dean Macintyre is the manager
of the assessor.
2.3 Site Visit
A site visit will be conducted to observe:

The physical environment of the property and observable characteristics of

surrounding properties
Any structures or utilities that could contribute to contamination
Areas of chemical use or disposal
Waste management operations
Any signs of environmental concern (stressed vegetation, staining or spills,
open pipes or drains, transported debris and unlabeled containers)
Presence of internal installments that may pose environmental concern
(asbestos, lead, urea formaldehyde insulation, pressure gauges, refrigeration
units)
Both the outside and the inside property will be inspected. Adjacent properties have
operations that occur in transit through the parking lot portion of the property.
2.4 Evaluation of Information
Through the records review, interview and site visit, the composed data
accumulated will insight any new APECs that may have appeared in the years of
operation since the repurposing and construction of the property at 343 Glendale
Avenue in 2009.

3.0 Qualifications of the Assessor

Assessor is completing the Phase I ESA for grading at Niagara College with a month
and a half of lessons in conducting Phase I ESAs. They are an employee of the
Starbucks location under investigation.

4.0 Records Review

4.1 Phase I Study Area Determination
The study area is composed of, the unit at Starbucks and the surrounding parking
lot, excluding the larger parking lot in front of the Sobeys grocery store. An outline
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can be seen in Fig.1. The surrounding area consists the commercial plaza on the
west and south end, a field and wetland to the north, and construction and
residential areas to the east.
4.2 Aerial Photographs
Aerial photographs from 1934, 1948, 1956, 2002, 2006 and 2010 are provided in
Appendix A and show the development of the land from being a section in the old
Welland Canal between Lock 14 and 15, to a paper mill, to the Mountain Lock Plaza.
Each step can be seen in the photographs and shows the best information on
property uses over its history, as well as property uses for the neighbouring
properties. A summarization of the information found can be seen below in table
4.1.

Table 4.1. Summary of aerial photo observations for years 1934, 1948, 1956, 2002,
2006 and 2010.

Location Year Observations

On-site 1934 Area is water-filled from
Old Welland Canal and
appears to be a loading
area, water source or
drainage for neighbouring
buildings
1948 Use appears to remain
the same as in 1934
1956 Area where water was is
filled in and a new
building was constructed
on the east side of the
property
2002 East side building still
remains. Rest of land is in
use for what appears to
be and industrial process
that requires truck
loading and a wastewater
pond on the northern
portion of property. Old
Welland Canal no longer
visible
2006 Site is completed
demolished and covered
with dirt
2010 Site is completely
reconstructed to current
state
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North of site 1934 Part of the Old Welland

Canal, as well as
residential areas and a
railway
1948 Similar to 1934 conditions
1956 Old Welland Canal pools
appear to be empty, with
water still running
through the locks. Mainly
residential still
2002 Old Welland Canal is
mostly covered opening
again further north and a
new area for gravel and
stone storage is present
2006 Similar to 2002 conditions
2010 Similar to 2006 conditions
East of site 1934 Industrial building,
Lybster Mill, adjacent to
site, with railroad
followed by residential
properties
1948 Similar to 1934
1956 Similar to 1948
2002 Similar to 1956
2006 Extensive construction
and restructuring of main
roads
2010 New roads built and
Lybster Mill repurposed.
Railroad removed
West of site 1934 Mainly agricultural land
1948 Similar to 1934
1956 Few more homes
constructed, still mainly
agricultural
2002 Converted to residential
2006 Similar to 2002
2010 Similar to 2006
South of site 1934 Old Merriton Cotton Mill
present, with Old Welland
Canal bending around it,
towards site
1948 Similar to 1948
1956 Similar to 1956
2002 Canal completely covered
and mill unused
2006 Mill repurposed to the
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Keg Restaurant
2010 Similar to 2006

From reviewing the aerial photos, the neighbouring mills and the edge of the
property between the, would be APECs, however, their repurposing and use in
current times suggests the sites are safe for human activity.
4.3 Environmental Reports
A record of site condition (RSC) was also found for the property providing extensive
information on property contamination and remediation before 2007, allowing for
construction of the Mountain Lock Plaza to follow-through. The RSC provides
extensive information on:

Former APECs
Hydrogeological information, including depth to the bedrock and water table,
and ground slope and flow pattern
Historical land uses since 1877, as well as a title search dating back to 1942
Soil contaminates before remediation (metals, VOCs, PHCs, BTEX and pH
altering substances)
The RSC provides a further understanding of the property that was not attainable
from other sources in regard to land use and past contamination.
4.4 First Developed Use Determination
The title search conducted at the Land Registry office only provided information
since 2004, however, a RSC found, contained information dating back to 1877 when
the area was developed for the Lincoln Paper Company. From the aerial
photographs, the exact area did not come into use until roughly 1958, when the
portion of the Old Welland Canal was largely filled in. The usage is likely associated
with Domtar Speciality Fine Papers, which are recorded to have been established in
1962.
4.5 Fire Insurance Plans, Company Records and Inspection Reports
Fire insurance plans and other company records could not be obtained through
Crombie REIT. An attempt was made to Karen Solursh-Smith, but she replied that
she could not give any information that was not already available online.
4.6 Chain of Title
A Title Search was conducted at the Land Registry Office on 59 Church Street, St.
Catharines, Ontario. The full printout and details can be seen in Appendix B. Dates
stretch back to 2004 and miss much of the former history of the site. The records
indicate that the property transferred from Domtar Incorporated, who ran the
former paper mill, to the Merriton Mills Redevelopment Corporation, before being
transferred between Sobeys Capital Incorporated and Crombie Property Holdings
Limited. Records have been summarized in Table 4.2.
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Table 4.2: Summary of Title Search for 343 Glendale Avenue.

Date Document Type Parties From Parties To

2004/04/01 Application Domtar Inc. Merriton Mills
To Annex Restrictiv Redevelopment
e Covenants Corporation
2008/09/29 Notice of Lease Sobeys Capital Liquor Control
Incorporated Board of Ontario
2010/01/06 Transfer Easement Sobeys Capital The Regional
Incorporated Municipality of
Niagara
2010/03/24 Transfer Sobeys Capital Crombie Property
Incorporated Holdings Limited
2010/04/22 Charge Crombie Property Desjardins
Holdings Limited Financial Security
Life Assurance
Company
2011/06/17 Notice of Lease Running Room Crombie Property
Canada Holdings Limited
Incorporated

The RSC obtained shows a title search extending back to 1942, however, the only
additional information in that document is an easement transfer to the Corporation
of the City of St. Catharines in 1995.

4.7 Well Records

Well records were observed using the well map on the Government of Ontario
website. On site, no wells are present, while 2 are present on the Mountain Lock
Plaza property and 17 wells in total on adjacent properties.
4.8 Permits, Approvals and Regulatory Records
No permits, approvals or regulatory records were found for the property.
4.9 Survey Plan
A survey plan for the property could not be obtained.
4.10 Topography, Hydrology and Geology
A topographical map was utilized from Brock University. The terrain is relatively flat,
with a slight slope to the northwest in the direction of the Old Welland Canal. There
are some man-made depressions for drainage. A topographical map with regards to
the slope can be seen in Appendix A.
Hydrologically, the site location is a downstream from a watershed that drains water
from the south and largely within the town of Thorold as can be seen in Appendix
A. According to the RSC, groundwater can be found 1.68-7.76m below the surface.
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Quaternary maps show the location is composed of Halton Till, which is silty and
clayey. Furthermore the Paleozoic map shows this area containing red shale as part
of the Queenston Formation.

5.0 Site Visit

The site visit was conducted on Tuesday, October 20 th, from 11:00am to 11:30am. It
was slightly overcast and rain from the morning had almost completely dried by the
time the visit was conducted. Site visit was conducted alone during operating hours.
The assessor was Travis Bico, conducting the site visit for practical experience and
requirements by Niagara College. Photographs of points of interest for both the
interior and exterior of the property can be found in Appendix A.The checklist used
in both inspection can be found in Appendix C.
5.1 Hazardous Materials and Designated Substances
During the site visit, hazardous materials under the Ontario Occupational Health &
Safety Act, such as, asbestos, lead, arsenic, silica, mercury, volatile organic
compounds, ozone depleting substances, polychlorinated biphenyls and urea
formaldehyde foam insulation.
5.2 Exterior Observations
For the exterior inspection, the area of investigation can be seen in Fig. 1. The area
includes the parking area in front of the property and to the side. Upon inspection,
the following was found:

4 dumpsters, 2 unique to Starbucks and two shared with surrounding stores

2 transformers, one within the site area and one just outside
Multiple oil spots in parking spots
Construction on adjacent property
Garbage build up in nearby field
Fenced wetland area behind property
An open drain, not connected to Starbucks

Specific points of interest were the 2 dumpsters that did not belong to Starbucks.
There was some staining on the cement that and in the seam of the concrete block
as seen in photograph Fig. 2. The transformers are maintained by Horizon Utilities
and looked to be in good condition. A few oil stains were observed in some parking
spaces as seen in the photographs in Fig. 3. The debris did not appear to cause a
strain to the vegetation, however, there is no knowledge or record of the extent of
materials dumped. Construction on the eastern adjacent property, piled debris just
outside the site area. Conditions of the wetland could not be observed because of
fencing around its entire perimeter. There was no significant staining running off
from the open drain, other than a small accumulation of rust at the base of the
drain.
No wells visibly observable around or on the property. Drains ran into the municipal
sewer system. There were also no signs of past or present storage tanks. No
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unidentified substances or storage containers were observed. There were no

significant or odours unrelated to surrounding operations
5.3 Interior Observations
For the interior inspection, the Starbucks store was examined. Upon inspection, the
following was found:

Pressure gauges
Transformer boxes
Air conditioning unit
A large refrigerator, a freezer unit and an ice maker machine
Insulated piping and copper piping

The public area of the store appeared to have no areas of potential concern. In the
backroom, two water pressure gauges were a part of the water filtration system.
Four transformer boxes rest on the wall across from them. Suspended from the
ceiling was a large air-conditioning unit. A large refrigerator, freezer and ice maker
machine rest side by side. Copper piping was found and was insulated with foam
and the foam was wrapped in aluminum foil. Potable water is supplied through the
municipal water supply system.
5.4 Limitations
The limitations of the site visit were the investigation on the condition of the
wetland, though it was not part of the site. Also, there were cars that were parked in
a few parking spaces while the site visit was conducted. Since the parking lot is
completely paved, the condition of the soil could not be observed. Assess to the
building to find the outside drain was not be granted.
Government officials could also not be contacted for further information on the
property.

6.0 Interview
The site visit was conducted, in person, on Tuesday, October 20 th, at 11:30am, with
the store manager of Starbucks, Dean Macintyre. The interview form with answers
can be found in Appendix C. Through the interview the following was found:

Aside from cars accessing the parking lot, 15-20 transport trucks also drive
through, as well as lawn maintenance, and snowplows in the winter
No known traffic accidents resulted in spills
Diesel fueling for neighboring construction occurred on the edge of the
property
Chemicals all contain MSDS sheets and stored properly
Two dumpsters on property are for Starbucks, while the other two are for
neighbouring properties; public sometimes dump waste illegally here
Chemicals containers are disposed in dumpsters when empty
History of past paper mill and Welland Canal being on site, as well as a
railways
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Through the interview, it was found the area is very traffic heavy for both cars and
transport trucks, though accidents are infrequent. Diesel fueling occurred at the
edge of the property by the front parking lot, but no signs of spills or stains were
observed. Public sometimes dump waste illegally in the dumpsters on the property,
so there is no certainty in what has been dumped or possibly leaked out of the
dumpsters.

7.0 Findings
Al findings come from the site visit and interview on October 20 th, 2015, and from
the records review compiled previous to the visit. From the records review, site visit
and interview, the site has been found to have a rich history in usage, from being
part of the old Welland Canal converted in a paper mill and remediated to become
the plaza it is today. Through the RSC the area is known to have undergone a Phase
I, II and III ESA and be remediated from past contaminations. Aerial images show
the progression of land use. Oil spots in the parking lots were on top of the asphalt
and one location appeared particularly darker than the others and can be viewed in
Fig. 3. The transformers were also in good condition, both on site and in the
building. Installations within the building were in good condition and were well
maintained. There were no finding of hazardous materials as mentioned in Section
5.1. Access to find where the source of the outside drain effluent was not granted,
but rust staining around the drain appeared to be from the drain itself and no
significant staining was found where the effluent would run. The neighbouring
construction stacked soil at the edge of the site and its composition is not known.

8.0 Evaluation of Findings

8.1 Current and Past Uses
Through the records review the area is found to have an extensive history of
industrial activity. Remediation of the area itself occurred as a requirement for a
RSC to repurpose the land into its current use. Currently, the commercial activities
taking part do not pose a significant environmental concern and would be largely
dependent on the activity of the public and not the activities of the establishments.
8.2 Areas of Potential Environmental Concern
From the findings, there are two APECs depending on what accumulated from
activity over the last six years. The first would be the staining at the bottom of the
dumpster. Since there is no barrier for this to be used by the public and there is no
certainty in what was dumped into the dumpster, any number of substances could
have contributed to the staining. Since the soil map of the area indicates the area is
composed of Halton Till, which is mainly silt and clayey, if any contamination has
occurred, it should not leach very far.
The second APEC is the area along the outside of the property where the soil from
the adjacent construction is piled. Since the area has a history of industrial use,
there is no guarantee that the stacked soil is free of leachable substances. Since
construction began in earlier in the year, rainfalls potentially leached substances
 10

into the existing soils. Substances likely to be in the soil would be products from
that industry. Furthermore, a railway rain through the property, so there is the
potential for chemicals associated with railways to be contained in the stacked soils.
The two APECs can be viewed from an aerial point of view in Fig. 4.
The darkest oil stain observed seen in Fig. 3, would pose a concern, however,
because of the good condition of the asphalt in the parking lot, it is unlikely that any
of the chemicals leached into the soil. Interiorly, the installations have the potential
to cause contamination if any major malfunctions of misuse should occur. Under the
current conditions and care, they pose no threat and there is no evidence of
contamination.

9.0 Conclusions
With the findings in this report, there is evidence of potential contamination and a
Phase II can be completed to confirm the severity and exact composition of
substances present. Further research could be conducted on any remediation or
assessment activities that occurred on the adjacent property to justify or refute a
need for sampling of the soils. As for the dumpster area, because there is no
certainty of what may have been dumped over the past six years, it may be
beneficial to contact the local waste handlers in the area and gain knowledge on
hazardous substances that have been identified in local waste. At this time, I would
not recommend a Phase II be completed until further information is found about the
adjacent property under construction and more is known about local wastes.

10.0 References and Supporting Documentation

Ontario Ministry of Environment & Climate Change. (2015). Record of Site Condition
# 216769. Retrieved from: http://www.downloads.ene.gov.on.ca/files/besr/RSC
%20216769.pdf.
Map 2344: Paleozoic Geology, Niagara [computer file]. Ontario Division of Mines.
Retrieved from:
http://www.brocku.ca/maplibrary/maps/geology/paleozoic/M2344.pdf.
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Preliminary Map P2400: Bedrock Topography Series [computer file] Ministry of

Natural Resources. Retrieved from:
http://www.brocku.ca/maplibrary/maps/geology/bedrock/p2400.pdf
Map 2496: Quaternary Geology [computer file]. Ministry of Natural Resources.
Retrieved from:
https://www.brocku.ca/maplibrary/maps/geology/quaternary/m2496.pdf.
Map: Well Records [website] Government of Ontario. Accessed from:
http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/map-well-records.
Ontario Flow Assessment Tools III [website]. Ministry of Natural Resources and
Forestry. Accessed from:
http://www.giscoeapp.lrc.gov.on.ca/web/mnr/wrip/ofat/Viewer/viewer.html.
Niagara Navigator [website]. Regional Municipality of Niagara. Accessed from:
http://maps.niagararegion.ca/Navigator/
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11.0 Figures

Figure 1: Aerial photo from Niagara Navigator in 2010, outlining area under
assessment. Exterior area for site assessment in green and interior area in red.
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Figure 2: Photo of possible APEC under one of the four dumpsters highlighted in red.

Figure 3: Photo of possible APEC from dark stains, likely a leak from a motor
vehicles, highlighted in red.
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Figure 4: Aerial photo from Niagara Navigator of site area in 2010 (interior outlined
in red, exterior outlined in green). APECs outlined in yellow.
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12.0 Appendices
Appendix A
Aerial Photographs

1934

1948
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1954

2002
 17

2006

2010
 18

Topographical Map of Site

Hydrological Map Showing Local Watershed (in red)

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Site Photographs

One of four dumpsters, this one with staining near base

Piled debris from neighbouring construction

 20

Staining in parking lot

21
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Open drain at side of building

Transformers inside building

Filtration system with copper and insulated piping with pressure gauges
 23

Large air conditioning unit

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Appendix B
Title Search
26
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Appendix C
Site Assessment Checklist
28
29
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Interview Form
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