By Donna Anderson

Sydney - An Ontario protest will not affect plans to transport toxic sludge from Sydney to a landfill near Sarnia this winter, says a spokesman for the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency.

"We have an agreement in place to remove the contents of the Domtar tank that meets all provincial and federal regulations," Parker Donham said Sunday.

"Obviously some residents up there are protesting but we don't have an inclination to get involved."

Clean Harbors Inc., based in the United States, has a $3.6-million contract to clean up the giant holding tank next to the Sydney tar ponds and dispose of the sludge near Sarnia.

More than 200 people gathered in the southwestern Ontario city a week ago to protest the plan.

The rally was organized by an environmental group that intends to ask Ottawa and Nova Scotia to stop the transport. The group also threatens to peacefully block the waste transport.

Mr. Donham says the negative publicity is unfortunate for Sydney residents.

"This sludge doesn't contain an ounce of tar ponds material. This is common industrial waste, mainly coal tar from the Domtar tank. This is a product that is used commercially. It contains the standard contaminants you'd find in any oil refinery."

He said citizens sitting on a Joint Action Group round table voted to dispose of the material in the tank in 1998.

"Work has begun on-site now. The material will be trucked to Ontario sometime this winter."

Mr. Donham described the contents of the holding tank as three layers of material, consisting mainly of products from the coke-making process.

"The first layer of rainwater will be put through charcoal filters and disposed of on-site in Sydney, about 1,350 tonnes of product," he said.

"The intermediate product is a wet material that's not suitable for landfill. There's 110 tonnes of that; it'll be going to an incinerator in Quebec.

"The sludge material itself is the bulk of the tank contents, about 4,000 tonnes. It will be mixed with a concrete type of powder to make it more manageable. Then it will be double-bagged, placed in a steel box and transported by truck."

da.currie@ns.sympatico.ca