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Tar Ponds History
Ninety years of Steel production in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada resulted in contamination of ground water and surface water by coal tar compounds, principally polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAH's. In 1981 a Canada/Nova Scotia Subsidiary Agreement authorized a program to modernize the Sydney Steel Corporation's facility. As part of this program, an investigation was undertaken to assess the extent of coal tar contamination created by the discharge of liquid wastes since the early 1900's, into an estuarian embayment of Sydney Harbor, referred to locally as the Tar Ponds. Approximately 600,000 metres cubed of coal tar contaminated sediment was found within the tar ponds. (Acres 1985) It is estimated that today (1998) there are over 700,000 tons of contaminated waste. On November 7, 1986 a ten year, 50 million dollar cleanup of the tar ponds was initiated. The project was jointly funded by the Nova Scotia Department of the Environment and Environment Canada with project management by Acres International Ltd. Between 1987 and 1993 the design, engineering and construction of a world class incinerator facility took place. The facility was finally commissioned and handed over to Sydney Tar Ponds Cleanup Incorporated in September 1994. During its one year of operation the incinerator burned an approximate 4000 tons of contaminated waste and sludge with reportedly very safe emission levels. In early 1995 the project was shut down due to operational problems with the pipeline leading to the incinerator. Since this time the facility has been idle. A committee known as JAG ( Joint Action Group) was established in August of 1996 with one of their primary responsibilities being to decide the fate of the cleanup process. Concerning the incinerator, they are facing one of three options:
JAG is also investigating over 200 other options for cleanup. Some of these methods are still in various stages of development; others have been widely used to clean up other toxic sites throughout the world. |