Education

2001-2002 SWEEPS

Operation Cygnet
A comprehensive environmental education and inspection program designed to educate businesses in the Bear Creek area of Grande Prairie about proper waste management practices, Operation Cygnet found most businesses needed a refresher, but identified few major environmental concerns.

Inspectors from Alberta Environment, Alberta Transportation and the City of Grande Prairie visited 298 businesses during Operation Cygnet, issuing notices of non-compliance to 39 companies for infractions ranging from no secondary containment for hazardous wastes to inadequate records.

Operation Oil Slick
Operation Oil Slick, designed to educate businesses in the Mackenzie Industrial Park of Fort McMurray about hazardous waste storage requirements, found none of the 184 facilities that were inspected, including auto shops, construction yards, fabrication shops, paint/fibreglass shops, and a variety of other light industries were improperly or illegally disposing of their waste.

Alberta Environment Inspectors issued notices of non-compliance to 41 facilities found to be storing more than 205 litres (one drum) of a hazardous waste without proper secondary containment. Each of these facilities was re-inspected approximately one month after the initial inspection, and while there were signs of small amounts of spillage or staining at a number of the sites, no facility was found to be causing a serious adverse effect and no active releases to the environment were discovered.