May 8, 2017 Johanna Echlin <Personal Information Redacted> Old Fort William Cottagers’ Association Fort William, Municipality of Sheenboro, Quebec Ms. Nicole Frigault, Environmental Assessment Specialist Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission P.O. Box 1046 Station B 280 Slater Street Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5S9 Via e-mail:
[email protected] Dear Ms. Frigault, Re: Comments on CNL’s Proposal for a Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River Laboratories (EIS March 2017) On behalf of Old Fort William Cottagers’ Association (OFWCA), I am sending the CNSC our comments regarding CNL’s proposal and draft environmental impact statement (EIS). We appreciate having this opportunity to voice our concerns and objections which are in Appendix A. Opposition resolutions passed by OFWCA and a number of Municipalities along the Ottawa River are in Appendix B. Our unanswered questions can be found in Appendix C. Appendix D and E contain correspondence with CNL and the CNSC respectively. We trust that CNSC will consider our views seriously. Our community is just downriver from Chalk River. For two major reasons, CNL’s proposal should not be allowed to proceed as it now stands. Both the location and the type of facility are seriously in question. 1. A disposal facility for radioactive waste should never be placed a kilometre away from the Ottawa River. Alternative locations at least 25 km from the river must be researched. !1 2. Radioactive waste with long-lived radionuclides should never be disposed of in a landfill or in a near surface facility and this is CNL’s intention. This is entirely unacceptable and does not follow international guidelines.