Sydney Tar Ponds Agency looking for green space bidders

CBC - Nova Scotia
July 27, 2012

The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency has put out a tender for companies interested in turning the once contaminated site into green space.

The tar ponds and the former Sydney Steel coke ovens have long been considered one of Canada's worst toxic waste sites. At one point the site contained 700,000 tonnes of soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), solvents and various heavy metals.

Donnie Burke, project director for the cleanup, says the revitalized area will include parks, trails and even an outdoor skating rink similar to the Halifax oval.

The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, a provincial and federally funded organization, is in charge of the $400 million remediation.

The project started five years ago and is expected to finish by spring of 2013. Burke says the tender closes on Aug. 8 and he expects the work to start by late September.