Provincial, federal governments prepare to environmentally assess toxic sites
Tanya Collier MacDonald
Cape Breton Post
Thursday, Dec. 11, 2003
Money is still being spent on
cleaning up the tar ponds and
coke ovens sites as both the
federal and provincial governments
prepare to conduct an
environmental assessment on
the toxic waste land.
Parker Donham, spokesperson
for the provincial Sydney
Tar Ponds Agency, said about
$80,000 was spent to complete
a topographical survey on the
site - a contract awarded to
the Halifax firm Servant Dunbrack
McKenzie and MacDonald.
Contractors are now considering
options for realigning
Coke Oven Brook on the
site - work valued at about
$100,000. The Domtar Tank is
still being removed by Clean
Harbors - a contract worth
about $3.7 million. A monitoring
program aimed at determining
whether water quality
is improving following the
capping of the landfill site and
other progressive initiatives,
is near completion. That
contract is worth nearly $300,000.
Tenders have been called
for proposals on disposal
options for the Sysco cooling
pond, and to prepare for the
construction of a coffer dam
at the north pond near Battery
Point, said Donham.
Government is also preparing
tenders for the first stage
of the environmental assessment
required by law before
the big cleanup project can
begin. That involves a description
of possible environmental
worries that may exist at
the sites.
The Cape Breton Regional
Municipality is the lead contractor
in responding to an
issue with the Victoria Road
water main. That pipe provides
drinking water to about
2,000 Whitney Pier customers
and runs through one of the
most contaminated parts of
the coke ovens site. It's been
reported that a travelling tar
cell laced with naphthalene is
near the water main. The
structure is about 90 years old
and the water is fed from the
Sydney well fields.
A tender is also being prepared
for a possible leachate
treatment program on the
coke ovens site, said Donham.
The total amount of funds
under the cost-share agreement
is now nearly $72 million.
The original amount was
$62 million, however, another
$8.1 million was added for off-site
work including biological
testing, a chronic health risk
assessment and remediation
work.
The regional municipality
also added $1.8 million for
sewer work.
Under the agreement, money
that has been committed by
contract before March 31,
2004, can be spent up to March
31, 2005, said Donham.
tcmacdonald@cbpost.com
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