STPA

S&S Work Restarts In South Pond

03/23/10 The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency is pleased to announce that the cleanup has kicked into high gear with the restart of solidification and stabilization in the south tar pond.

Contractors began the cement work today (Tuesday, March 23, 2010). The process includes using an excavator to mix cement powder into the contaminated sediment, similar to the way a baker mixes ingredients when making a cake. The contract requires that each completed cell meets established criteria for permeability, leachability, and strength. For more on this contract, please click here.

It's expected that the south pond (from Prince Street to Ferry Street Bridge) will be completely solidified and stabilized by the end of summer, 2010.

Air monitors are operating in real-time at the project fence line, and also operating within the work site as part of the Master Occupational Health and Safety Plan for the project. To receive daily air monitoring reports, please click here.

To view a video clip of work from 2009, please right click here and select save target as. You must download the file in order to view it properly.

Two Contracts Worth $7.7 Million Awarded

Contracts valued at $7.7 million were awarded to two Cape Breton companies as the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens cleanup heads into its peak construction season.

McNally Construction Inc., Port Hawkesbury, was awarded a $3.8-million contract to remove contaminated material from the lower reaches of Coke Ovens Brook from the Victoria Road overpass to Inglis Street, and to build a protective liner along the bottom of the brook. It will join the Coke Ovens Groundwater Collection Treatment System, now being built, to an engineered channel. Work is expected to run from April to October.

ALL-TECH Environmental Services of Cape Breton, Sydney, was awarded a two-year, $3.9-million contract to continue monitoring and evaluating air quality for the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency. The consulting firm provides real-time data upwind and downwind of the site. It also reports on data collected on a six-day cycle.

Walking for Victims of Workplace Tragedy

The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, in partnership with the Department of Labour is organizing a walk for work place safety.
Steps for Life-Walking for Victims of Workplace Tragedy will take place on May 2, 2010 at the Harbourside Industrial Park and is the first ever in Cape Breton. This five km walk will begin at the Inglis Street soccer field at 2:00 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by Mark MacIntyre, along with face painting and games for the kids. This is a fun and easy way to help families of workplace affected by workplace tragedies.

How can you help?
-Register as an individual or team of 10
-Donate to a walker
-Volunteer on the day of the walk
-Sponsor the event by donating funds, prizes or in-kind donations.

If you want more information, or to take part in the walk, please phone 562-1035 or visit www.stepsforlife.ca .

New Cabinet Minister for Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens Site Remediation Project
On January 19, 2010, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a new lineup for his cabinet. Former Labour Minister Rona Ambrose is the new minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, replacing Quebec MP Christian Paradis. Paradis is now the minister of Natural Resources. Public Works and Government Services Canada is the lead authority for the Government of Canada on the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens Remediation Project.

Local Aboriginal Company Awarded Contract

A $3.1-million contract to operate and maintain a material processing facility for the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens cleanup has been awarded to a local aboriginal company.
Mikjikj Enterprises Ltd., of Eskasoni and Harbour Tech Services Inc., of Sydney, Joint Venture has been awarded the multi-year contract as part of the Aboriginal Set-aside Procurement Strategy signed in 2008 by the government of Canada, province of Nova Scotia, and Membertou, on behalf of five First Nations communities of Cape Breton.
The facility will begin operations in October and run until the cleanup is complete. The contract includes decommissioning the building.
Set-aside contracts provide companies with majority aboriginal ownership and control an opportunity to benefit from the cleanup work. As well, it provides aboriginal workers with the hands-on training needed to compete for construction projects outside the cleanup.

Coke Ovens Contract Awarded
The most substantial part of the Coke Ovens cleanup has started with the award of a $15.2 million contract to collect and treat groundwater flowing over the site.
MB2/Beaver Marine Joint Venture, a partnership between a First Nations contractor and a non-aboriginal Nova Scotian company, was awarded the contract to construct a ground water collection system and a water treatment plant at the former Coke Ovens property. The work is expected to begin in August and be completed in spring, 2010.
When completed, underground pipes will collect groundwater flowing over the Coke Ovens site and transport it to the on-site water treatment plant. Once the water is treated and meets acceptable freshwater guidelines, it will be released into Coke Ovens Brook. Water from the brook will eventually drain into an engineered channel that will wind through the Tar Ponds site until it reaches Sydney Harbour. The channel will also capture other sources of water that drain into the ponds.

Governments to Invest in the Cleanup of the Tar Ponds and Create Jobs

A vital component of the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens Cleanup began today with the award of a $52 million contract to solidify and stabilize tar ponds sediment.
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, Minister of Atlantic Gateway and Member of Parliament for Central Nova, along with Gordie Gosse, MLA, on behalf of the Honourable Bill Estrabrooks, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, announced that the contract was awarded to Nordly's Environmental, a Cape Breton company owned by J&T van Zutphen Construction Inc. of Southwest Mabou, and ECC of Marlborough, Massachusetts, US. The work will create about 40 construction jobs over the life of the contract and provide local labourers with the opportunity to learn valuable skills and experiences in remediation.
"This significant investment by the Government of Canada demonstrates the government's commitment to the environment here in Sydney, and at the same time creates jobs and knowledge that can be shared across Canada," said MacKay.
"The skills and experiences these local companies will gain over the next five years will lead to other meaningful opportunities," said Gosse. "The positive economic benefits from this milestone project will extend across Nova Scotia."
All sediments in the tar ponds will be solidified and contaminants, including PCBs, will be stabilized. Solidification and stabilization involves mixing cement into contaminated material and works to protect the environment and our health by immobilizing hazardous contaminants within the treated material. Cement reacts chemically with water in the material being treated; creating changes in its physical and chemical properties and prevents contaminants from escaping into the environment. Solidification and Stabilization using cement is a sustainable engineering solution for brownfield remediation projects in Canada.
The site will then be capped and a layer of clean soil will complete the job and allow for future development to take place.
In January 2007, the government of Canada and province of Nova Scotia committed $400 million to ensure the cleanup is completed by 2014.

New Minister Announced for Sydney Tar Ponds Agency

On Friday, June 19, 2009, Premier Darrell Dexter announced his new NDP cabinet. Timberlea-Prospect MLA Bill Estabrooks will be the minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal and Energy portfolios, making him responsible for the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, as well as the Atlantic Gateway Initiative. Lt. Governor Mayann Francis swore in the new ministers at a ceremony at the Cunard Center in Halifax.

Congratulations Mona Morris!

05/29/09 The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency would like to congratulate Mona Morris in receiving the Cape Breton Partnership's Women in Business Aboriginal Women of Distinction Award. This award is presented to a woman of aboriginal descent who has contributed to business in the community through hard work and dedication.

For over a year, Mona has been the face of the Unama'ki Economic Benefits Office as well as the face of the first Aboriginal Work Set Aside in Nova Scotia. Mona began her work as a translator for the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency's Cooling Pond Project. Within six months, Mona, a natural mutli-tasker and go-getter, gained experience, skills and training in several areas of construction. These areas include Occupational Health and Safety, Air Quality Control Manager, Supervisor, General Labourer and she has set her sights on expanding her resume even more.

As proud owner of Morris Pizza and soon-to-be mother of two, it is absolutely fitting that Mona be the recipient of this award. Everyone at the Sydney Tar Pond Agency wishes her the best of luck in the future.

Congratulations Mona!

Tar Ponds Construction Roads

05/07/09The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency advises that there are higher than normal levels of construction activity around the north and south tar ponds. The activity includes moving the current fence line and building construction access roads in and around the ponds. The construction access roads will limit the need for construction vehicles to travel on public streets during the cleanup. Residents can expect activity in the area to continue until the beginning of July at which time the Construction Access Roads phase will be completed. Teak Street and area residents can expect a temporary increase in truck traffic to allow for the completion of an access road on the Coke Ovens site. This activity is expected to take less than five days to complete.

For more information on the cleanup, please call 902-567-1035.

Tar Cell Begins

04/03/09 A tar cell located on the Coke Ovens site is now being remediated under the direction of Nova Scotia Lands Inc.NSLI received a green light to proceed with the removal and solidification and stabilization of PAH-impacted soil in the tar cell. A field demonstration was conducted in February that proved to regulators that the project meets all established performance criteria.NSLI is using its contractor, Hazco Environmental Inc., to move 25,000 tonnes of blackened soil to a pug mill located at the northern tip of the former Sysco property. The material is being loaded into covered trucks that will be decontaminated before travelling to the former Sysco property. The material will be solidified and stabilized over a six week period.Relocating the soil to the former Sysco property maximizes the potential for future use of the Coke Ovens site and moves the material further away from residential properties.

Ferry Street Bridge Closure

03/13/09 The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency advises the public that Ferry Street Bridge will close for an extended period of time beginning Monday, March 23.

The closure is needed to allow the remediation of the Tar Ponds to get underway.

The bridge is located in a construction area and will be closed to both pedestrian and road traffic. There will be blockades near both entrances of Ferry Street Bridge. Detour signs will be posted to redirect traffic, and caution lights and barriers will be installed to ensure public safety.

In 2012, a newly designed, two-lane bridge with sidewalks will be built to replace the current structure. The new bridge will also have lighting and railing to match Sydney's downtown nautical theme. The new bridge will reopen when it is no longer needed for construction activities and the public can travel safely across the bridge.

The Agency apologizes for any inconvenience this closure may cause.

Benzol Tank Demolition

03/05/09 An empty tank located on the Coke Ovens site is being removed today to allow remediation activities to continue on the site.

B. Curry and Sons Construction Ltd., Sydney, will take about two days to demolish the structure and about two weeks to cut the metal into sizes suitable for recycling or scrap.

The tank was once used to store Benzol, a byproduct from the making of coke. The tank hasn't been used since the 80s and was cleaned of all residue. A hazardous materials assessment was conducted and it was determined to be free of contaminants. An air monitoring program is underway and will continue during all site activities.

The tendered project is being implemented under the direction of Nova Scotia Lands Inc.

Tar Cell Field Demonstration

02/10/09 A tar cell located on the Coke Ovens site will be part of a small field demonstration serving to expedite the removal of PAH-impacted soil from the property.

Today, Nova Scotia Lands Inc. will take about four tandem truckloads of blackened soil to a pug mill located at the northern tip of the former Sysco property. The exercise is to demonstrate to regulators that its contractor, Hazco Environmental Inc., can do the work and meet the established criteria for solidification and stabilization.

Once regulators are satisfied that all criteria are met, NSLI will transport the remaining 25,000 tonnes of blackened soil to the new destination over a four week period. The material will be loaded into covered trucks that will be decontaminated before travelling to the former Sysco property. The material will be solidified and stabilized over a six week period in the spring.

Relocating the soil to the former Sysco property maximizes the potential for future use of the Coke Ovens site and moves the material further away from residential properties.

New Minister Responsible for Sydney Tar Ponds Agency

01/07/09 Premier Rodney MacDonald announced changes to the cabinet today, Jan. 7. Brooke Taylor, who was involved in the trucking business for many years, is the new Minister responsible for the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency and the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. A video of the ceremony will be available later today, Jan. 7, at www.gov.ns.ca.

Flow Diversion

11/27/08-The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency will soon award a contract to begin building a temporary water diversion system around the north and south tar ponds.
The tender for the job is expected to close mid December, and award to follow shortly after.

Currently, two urban brooks drain directly into the ponds before reaching Sydney harbour. In order to have controlled construction areas for work to begin, these brooks must bypass the ponds entirely and be redirected away from work sites.

The construction areas will be blocked off in three stages. The first stage is from Prince Street to the Ferry Street Bridge; the second stage is from the Ferry Street Bridge to the narrows of the north tar ponds; and the final stage is from the narrows to Battery Point Barrier, located at the mouth of the harbour.

The temporary pumping system will manage incoming water until a channel, which will be constructed within the solidified and stabilized sediment in the tar ponds, is complete. It is anticipated the channel will be ready to permanently direct water coming from the brooks to Sydney Harbour in 2013.

Pre-notification of tender

10/14/08-The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency issued the pre-notification of a multi-million dollar tender to solidify and stabilize the north and south tar ponds.

The pre-notification is to encourage interested parties from North America and Europe to familiarize themselves with requirements of working on the contaminated sites, as well as the agreements and programs that govern the project.

"This gives interested parties ample time to learn as much as possible about the unique approaches implemented by the Agency to drive local economic benefits, support employment equity, and to experience the level of community engagement necessary with a remediation project located at the centre of an urban community," said Roger Larkin, Agency project director.

The cleanup uses proven technology, but has an oversight program unique to general contracting.

It is expected that the Agency will release the tender in November.

To view the news release, return to the home page and click on the News Releases button located on the left side of the page. To view the advertisement, click on the Project tab, put your mouse over tenders and contracts, and click on vendor information, and then click on TP6 Pre-notification.

Coke Ovens Activity

Cleaning up the Coke Ovens site is progressing quickly with the recent announcement of two tenders for the site.

The first was a call for tenders to build barrier walls along the north and south sides of the 68-hectare property. This contract will be awarded soon.

The second is today's call for bids to build a groundwater collection system and to remove sediment from Coke Ovens Brook. This tender is an aboriginal set aside, which means that only companies with majority aboriginal ownership are eligible to bid.

The next step in the Coke Ovens cleanup plan is to build a water treatment facility to treat collected groundwater.

Stay tuned for more announcements...

Preparations Begin for Tar Ponds

The cooling pond project is nearly complete. Once warmer weather arrives, contractors will finish the job by hydroseeding the recently capped area. The newly renovated site can be best seen from Inglis Street. We invite you to come and take a look.

As well, preparations are now underway for the Solidification and Stabilization of the Tar Ponds, one of the largest contracts to be tendered in 2009. Beginning in April 08, you will see work underway in the South pond as we perform field demonstrations on a variety of cement mixtures to be used to treat the tar ponds sediment.
Construction crews are now installing grey felt along a portion of Ferry Street as a traffic safety measure, the same material that was used along Inglis Street during the cooling pond project.
It's expected that the field demonstrations will take about four months to complete.

New Look Website

Welcome to our new website. A lot of the information remains the same, just a few new bells and whistles to make searching for information a lot easier, and to make the most popular parts of our old website more visible. As you may expect, there are still some areas under construction and a few bugs to work out, but we are looking forward to making this the most user-friendly website our imaginations and hard work can muster.