Cleanup Preparations Proceed at Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens Site

TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC WORKS--Cleanup Preparations Proceed at Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens Site

Several critical steps toward cleanup of the tar ponds and coke ovens site -- including a major upgrade to Sydney's sewer system

• are getting under way this week.

Contracts have been awarded to Cape Breton-based companies for the construction of the first portion of an interceptor sewer line that bypasses the tar ponds. A new access road will be built, as well as a water main and vehicle wash pad which is required prior to removing buildings, smoke stacks, chemical tanks and other surface debris.

Riverside Developments Ltd. of Sydney has been awarded a $4.66 million contract to build the main branch of the interceptor sewer from Brookland Street to Battery Point. This 2.5 kilometre line will replace outfalls which now allow untreated sewage to flow into the Wash Brook and the tar ponds. This is one of two main sewer interceptor lines to be built under separate contracts. Together, they will be more than four kilometers long and are integral in preparing the tar ponds for cleanup. They will also help to rid Sydney's downtown of daily exposure to more than 11 million litres of untreated sanitary and storm sewage.

The sewer interceptor project is funded by a $62 million cost- share agreement signed with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in 1999 for preparatory work leading to the tar ponds and coke ovens site cleanup. The federal and provincial governments contribute the bulk of funding under the cost-share agreement, however, for this specific sewer project each level contributes one-third of the money.

Work will start almost immediately as the contractor begins maintenance work and reinforcement of the Ferry Street bridge to safely accommodate construction vehicles. Shortly thereafter, the contractor will begin digging the trench and laying the pipe, starting at Battery Point and working south to Brookland Street.

"The Joint Action Group recognized this project as critical to cleanup of the tar ponds and formally recommended this to governments in 1997," said Dan Fraser, chair of the Joint Action Group. "Naturally, we are delighted to see the interceptor sewer project and other key activities coming to fruition throughout the Sydney area in preparation for the cleanup."

In a separate project -- also funded under the $62-million cost- share agreement -- J&T van Zutphen Construction Inc. of Port Hood, has been awarded a contract worth almost $472,000 for support facilities required for cleanup work at the coke ovens site.

This includes a new access road so construction vehicles and heavy machinery can avoid residential areas. A concrete wash pad and related water main will be built to ensure that vehicles leaving the site during demolition and removal activity are fully covered and washed down, and that they travel on a paved road to prevent dust.

"As always, health and safety measures including air-quality monitoring will be in place throughout all activities," said Walter van Veen of Conestoga-Rovers and Associates, the project manager for the cleanup. "People have told us they want these jobs done, but done properly. Our plan is to act promptly and with great care on both these infrastructure projects."

Work on the coke ovens site infrastructure should begin next week.