The Sydney Tar Ponds: Lessons Learned From
Canada’s First Superfund Level Project
Author(s)
E. MacLellan & A. Britten
Abstract
The paper traces the history of the Sydney Tar Ponds Clean-Up project from the
first announcement in 1986 to the present, including comments on the more than
$560M (USD) spent or committed to date. During this period the project
generated thousands of headlines in print, television and radio media; and
created significant grief for the community, elected officials, public servants,
consultants and others. This paper examines the different attempts to clean-up
the tar ponds and scopes out lessons learned related to organization structure,
public engagement, risk communication, innovation and other areas.
Keywords: Sydney tar ponds, hazardous waste, PAH, PCB, risk communication.
1 Introduction
Canada’s first superfund level project is on budget and on schedule but the road
to this point has had many twists and turns. In 1986 the Government of Canada
and Province of Nova Scotia announced the Sydney Tar Ponds Clean-up project
with a total budget of $34M; but from 1986 to 2010 there has been at least
$560M spent or committed. This paper will provide background on the turbulent
history of the project in four distinct stages. The lessons learned are then
highlighted for discussion.
2 The community in history
The Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens sites (Figure 1) are a legacy of a steel and coal
industry that goes back to the Dominion Iron & Steel Company in 1899. The
attraction for establishing a coal industry in Cape Breton was the coal mines, a
very good harbour and the proximity to markets. In 1920 the British Empire
Keywords
Sydney tar ponds, hazardous waste, PAH, PCB, risk communication
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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