Northvolt denies that contaminants are leaking from Quebec site

An aerial view of the land being developed by Northvolt, the new EV battery plant being built by the Swedish manufacturer in Saint-Basile-le-Grand, east of Montreal, Que.,Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Christinne Muschi / The Canadian Press)

Toxic substances from another era are allegedly flowing into the Richelieu River from Northvolt's Montérégie site, according to organizations presenting their findings Monday morning in Montreal.

However, the conclusions are categorically rejected by the company, which maintains that it is taking every precaution to avoid contaminating runoff water.

The Comité Action Citoyenne - Projet Northvolt (CAC), the Société pour vaincre la pollution (SVP) and the Société pour la nature et les parcs (SNAP Québec) had water and sediment samples from the Northvolt site analyzed by a certified laboratory.

The samples analyzed “suggest that construction work at the Northvolt” plant led to the release into the Richelieu River of various contaminants from the former industrial site, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), toxic and carcinogenic substances.

Northvolt denies the results

Northvolt rejects the conclusions of the environmental organizations.

“Their sampling was done off-site,” said Valérie Hébert, environmental manager for Northvolt, in an interview with The Canadian Press.

In her opinion, there may have been contamination “by agricultural land” nearby, or “by run-off water along the CN tracks,” or “it may be influenced by run-off water from the nearby road, in which there may be a contaminant.”

Hébert referred to possible contamination of samples by the road, as the Chemin du Richelieu, which runs alongside the river, separates the Northvolt site and the places where some samples were collected by citizens.

“Since work began, Northvolt has analyzed 27 samples of water flowing off its site for PAHs. None of these samples exceeds the MELLCFP discharge criteria for anthracene into the Richelieu River,” said Northvolt's environmental manager.

“We sample at the exit of our site and they sampled outside the site,” she added.

Hébert also explained that runoff from the site under construction is directed into a retention basin of sufficient size to capture all runoff and prevent flash flooding.

A site saturated with water during heavy rains

Before Northvolt reacted, Daniel Green, ecotoxicologist with the Society to Vanquish Pollution, explained that he had observed runoff from the Northvolt construction site based on satellite and drone photos.

He said that aerial photos taken after heavy rains in June and August 2024 show “that the site is saturated with water, waterlogged” and that “traces of runoff water can be seen flowing into the Richelieu River” from the plant under construction.

He explained that water and sediment samples from runoff were collected in September 2024 by the citizens' group along the Richelieu River shoreline.

“There's runoff from the site, it's visible, we've sampled runoff” and “there's escape from the site that's contaminating the environment. That's what our data shows,” said Green at a press conference on Monday morning.

CPAWS Quebec biologist and General Manager Alain Branchaud added that “Northvolt is making efforts to prevent the release of contaminants. But is it doing enough? the answer is no.”

Anthracene 

One of the places where sediment samples were collected by citizens was at the outlet of a “discharge pipe” that flows a few metres from the Richelieu River, just outside the Northvolt site, explained Green.

At the site, concentrations of 2 mg/kg of anthracene (a type of PAH) were reported, 8.2 times higher than the PEC criterion for the protection of aquatic life.

The PEC of anthracene for aquatic life is 0.24, according to a joint document from the two environment ministries.

The PEC criterion corresponds to the concentration above which "adverse effects are frequently observed" for aquatic species.

“We question the relevance of comparing the results of analysis of solids found in a pipe with the criteria applicable to sediments,” said Hébert, adding that “if the criteria applicable to soils are used instead, a concentration of 2mg/kg anthracene” does not exceed the contamination threshold.

Copper redhorse

The Richelieu River is the “first victim of this industrial contamination,” according to CPAWS Quebec.

“We are particularly concerned to see a new threat to the survival and recovery of the copper redhorse,” said Branchaud of CPAWS Quebec.

The fish exists nowhere in the world but in Quebec, in the area between Lac Saint-Louis and Lac Saint-Pierre, and particularly in the estuary of the Richelieu River.

The three organizations are calling for “the two Environment Ministries to take charge of toxicological analyses” and also “the implementation of a containment and water treatment system to prevent contamination of the Richelieu River.”

Methodology and citizen approach

Green explained that he had applied the environment ministry’s sediment and surface water sampling protocol, and organized citizen training “to show them how to sample.”

The citizens used “sealed bottles, provided by the laboratory” which analyzed the samples.

“What's interesting about using citizens is that they know the area, they walk past Northvolt every day and if we identified run-off, it's because citizens were telling us ‘it's flowing there,’” explained Green.

Contaminants, he says, have been on the site since the days when it was owned by the CIL company, but it's Northvolt's work, he said, that allows contaminants to escape from the site and reach the river, not least because so many trees have been cut down.

“It's a citizens' initiative,” said Arianne Labonté, a member of the citizens' committee. “citizens’ funds made it possible to do the sampling,” but “it's not up to us to do this, it's up to the government.”

A past that resurfaces

The land where Northvolt plans to set up in Montérégie has long been an industrial site.

Throughout the 20th century, the land was owned by explosives production companies.

The municipality of McMasterville was named in honour of William McMaster, first president of the Canadian Explosives Company in 1910.

In the 2000s, and until 2015, the site was used by chemical and paint manufacturing companies.

During the same period, the site was also decontaminated and revegetated.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 16, 2024.