2007
Ken Smith photo and text
The Levine Landfill Site just off the 10th Line in Beckwith was actively used as a dump for Carleton Place from 1966-1973. But it wasn’t until the Spring of 2000 that it was discovered that chemicals dumped at the site had contaminated the groundwater and contaminated wells for over 250 homes in what became known as The Beckwith Plume. I actually bought a house in the plume when I first moved back to the area in 2005. I knew nothing about it so got an education when our agent advised that our house was in an area with contaminated water but there was a water supply program in place and longer term solutions were being assessed. I know nothing of the politics at the time of the discovery, but I personally think the Township did a pretty good job of handling things once the issue was public knowledge. So much so that I didn’t hesitate to buy a second home that also fell within the plume and neither home seemed to suffer from it when it came time to sell. Not much evidence of the old dump remains now other than a few traces of tires and scrap metal.– Ken Smith
What is the Beckwith Plume?
Posted on November 20, 2019 by Peggy Blair
Until I got into real estate, I had never heard of the Beckwith Plume, and then I saw it mentioned in a listing. That got me doing a little research. What I found out came as a surprise. I’ve lived in Ottawa since 1990 and I had never heard of it.
The Beckwith Plume is a 45 square kilometre area of contaminated groundwater running from Carleton Place to Black’s Corners. Read the rest here…
DUMPS– Rump’s Pit
Heck we did some complaining about garbage dumps and how, now that they are known as “land fill projects,” they’re no fun anymore. Also, persons in charge” of dumping grounds tend to be overprotective and difficult to deal with. It all prompted Dick Melville, a resident of Carp, to write and brag about his membership in exclusive Huntley Township’s “garbage dumpers’ club” . .
“Since I moved here I now have use of all the facilities of Rump’s Pit. Now there’s a place with class. First off, you don’t get in without your membership sticker which has been stuck on your windshield. You get it by swearing to uphold all the rules governing dumping”.
The word ‘garbage’ is conspicuously absent from all literature . . . Saturday the pit is open to all members and their guests, but it’s closed Sundays. It observes office-like hours through the rest of the week, and you must report to the office to clear any special items being taken in …
If your problems persist, perhaps, if I can find another sponsor, we can submit your name to the Rump’s Pit membership committee . . . Until then, don’t let this problem get you down in the dumps.
Lost Ottawa
Jamie Rump shares a photo of a place on the outskirts of Ottawa that was once crucial to the functioning of the city. Probably a few treasures for Lost Ottawa buried out there!
Writes Jamie:
“Here is an original sign of my grandfather Howard Rump’s sand and gravel pit on Carp Road which eventually became a garbage dump and was sold to Laidlaw and then to present owner Canadian Waste. Most of Ottawa’s garbage went here.”
I remember dumping waste there in 1970 when it was an actual hole in the ground, not the Carp Mountain-LOL
1985-
The Ontario environment ministry has agreed to pay half the cost of a study to locate a new waste-disposal site for Smiths Falls, Carleton Place, Perth and neighboring townships. A letter outlining the offer was presented at a Monday meeting of Smiths Falls Council. Smiths Falls Mayor Gord Du-rant says several neighboring municipalities will split the remaining cost of the study, including Perth and Carleton Place and the townships of North Elmsley, Montague and Beckwith. “It’s a very, very serious problem” according to Durant, and one “we have been looking at for 10 years with no luck.” Smiths Falls and Carleton Place have been forced for a decade to truck all trash to Rump’s pit near Carp. Over the years several spots for a more convenient, and cheaper, local dump have been considered.
None have been considered suitable. About 100 acres is needed for a site, which Durant says must be usable for between 25 and 30 years. The mayor says sites considered in the past were either too rocky or likely to pollute nearby rivers. Several times protests from nearby residents put an end to dump plans. “John Q.
Public has no idea what municipalities are going through over garbage disposal,” says Durant. “They just scream when it’s not picked up.” Don Willoughby, Smiths Falls public works director, says the town paid $44,000 last year to use the Carp pit. Carleton Place is also anxious to find an alternative. . Mayor Melba Barker says dumping fees are “rising drastically” for municipalities outside Ottawa-Carleton, where Rump’s pit is located.
Current fees are $12 a ton, a figure that is to rise to $24 a ton by January 1, 1986. Carleton Place provides two disposal services for residents, says Ken Kirkpatrick, town manager of public works. Weekly sidewalk pickup costs $59,000 annually, while $47,000 is spent each year on a “roll-off box service” at the town public works site where residents can leave bulkier items. Perth Mayor Bill Warren says his town is in a more fortunate position. A dump on the south side of town has been operating for about nine years, he says, “and should do us for 20 more.” However, he says Perth would also benefit from establishment of an alternative dump site.
Durant says he does not know how much the waste study will cost. Now that the grant has been approved, the next step is to tender the study contract, he says. “I just hope they will come up with something we haven’t found” he says..
The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Mon, May 28, 1979Page 3
A giant pile of documents, some marked secret or confidential, inadvertently sent to a dump near Carp from Employment and Immigration Minister Bud Cullen’s office Friday, was buried under a mound of sand today. Citizen staff, called Saturday by an anonymous tipster, were told that Cullen and several members of his staff were frantically rummaging among the papers. Cullen had left by late Saturday morning, but a large pile of documents remained all weekend at the Howard Rump Sand and Gravel pit. Citizen staffers gathered up several bags full of documents Saturday evening, and a closer examination revealed that at least two were classified Secret, while a number of others were marked Confidential or Property of the Government of Canada.
Editor Russell Mills called Ottawa police Sunday and four officers removed the documents in a police van. This morning, a department of manpower and immigration official returned to the dump and told owner Ed Rump to ready a truck to remove the four tons of garbage to an undisclosed site. However, after a few minutes of waiting. Rump informed the official the truck had a flat tire. Faced with no other alternatives, the official ordered Rump to bury the garbage under a pile of sand.
Rump quickly obliged saying, “once I get done with this stuff it’ll really be top secret.” The government papers found in the dump included: A confidential exchange of letters between Cullen and former solicitor-general Warren Allmand in 1976 about RCMP cooperation with the department of national revenue to control organized crime where it is combined with income tax evasion. The exchange was the basis of testimony before the McDonald commission into RCMP wrongdoing. Applications for landed immigrant status and letters explaining that some would-be immigrants could not stay in Canada because of criminal records. A confidential working draft outlining a labor market strategy for the 1980s. Long mailing lists that included names, addresses and social insurance numbers.
A secret cabinet document on the preparation of new immigration legislation. Reporters also discovered numerous bags of shredded documents, piles of unused stationery, airline tickets and departmental spending information. Ironically, one document was The Garbage Book which describes how to save energy and money by throwing away less. Members of Cullen’s staff said an office cleaner hired by an independent contractor at the Bourke Building on Rideau Street left the documents for garbage disposal
The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Mon, May 28, 1979Page 3
The CP Dump 2006 –see all photos here… CLICK
Location DB > Canada > Ontario > Beckwith > The Last Truck Stop  NameThe Last Truck Stop Viewing OptionsLog in to activate viewing options Database Infocreated by Spyder on 5/9/2006 3:18 PMlast modified by Boffo on 3/24/2008 2:38 AM  Viewability Publically ViewableThis location has been labeled by its creator as Public, and therefore can be viewed by anyone. Overview  DescriptionAn abandonned dump and scrap yard. Basic InformationType: OutdoorsStatus: Abandoned Accessibility: Recommendation: check it out if you’re nearby  Physical InformationAddress10th Line Beckwith, Ontario Canada Owner: See a map of this location  Hazardsmosquitoes Interesting FeaturesThe abandoned tractor trailers. Security Measuresnone Historical DatesBuilt: 1940Closed: 1975  Required Equipmentlong pants / sleeves Recommended Equipmentmosquito repellant HistoryThis is an abondonned dump and scap metal yard,once used by the Town of Carleton Place. It is also the source of the Beckwith Plume a 9km long groundwater contamination plume consisting of TCE and Vinyl Cloride. |
Woodstock in Carleton Place– Let the Tambourines Play and — And About That Junk Pile!
lindaseccaspina 