Chalk River Laboratories is located on a major fault line in the Western Quebec Seismic Zone, one of the areas in Canada with a relatively high risk of earthquakes.

This memo was received by Chief Lance Haymond of Kebaowek First Nation on Feb 15, 2024.

Begin forwarded message:

From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: February 15, 2024 at 10:28:32 AM EST
To: lhaymond@kebaowek.ca
Subject: Chalk River nuclear waste

Hi Lance

I studied the geology and geophysics in the Ottawa area, and I can attest to the fact that this nuclear waste facility is planned in a geologically unsound area. 

It’s located in the middle of the Ottawa-Bonnechere graben. Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben – Wikipedia

Natural Resources Canada, and the Geological Survey of Canada is well aware of the seismic hazard of this area, and a whole new building code was added to the Canada Building Code based on studies conducted in this area of which I was a part. 

I’m a Doctor of Geophysics. I specialized in near-surface geophysics. 

This publication here was the basis for the earthquake hazard assessment rules added to the Building Code of Canada in 2009. 
GEOSCAN Search Results: Fastlink (nrcan.gc.ca)

It details the unstable nature of the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben and how it’s the second most Earthquake intensive area in Canada. This is the worst place to be constructing a nuclear waste site. 

Please let me know if you have any questions. 
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Engineers are notorious for overlooking bedrock stability because they don’t understand it. 

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Image above of the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben from Wikipedia

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This book “On Borrowed Time” contains a chapter entitled “Un violent tremblement de terre” about the Ottawa Valley. It describes the category 5 quake that hit the valley in 2010 and the subsequent multibillion dollar earthquake proofing to buildings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. And yet…. earthquake hazard has not prevented approval of the giant above ground mound of one million tons of radioactive waste one kilometer from the Ottawa River at Chalk River Ontario, or the importation to the Ottawa Valley of vast quantities of radioactive waste from Canada and other countries for storage beside the Ottawa River. The multinational consortium running Chalk River Laboratories for the federal government even plans to import High Level irradiated waste nuclear fuel for storage beside the river.

The Image below is from EarthquakesCanada.nrcan.gc.ca