Meeting on Interim Separation Zones

Agra Earth and Environmental Ltd. will hold a public consultation meeting Monday, Sept. 27, in Sydney to discuss the development of criteria for interim separation zones.

The public will have opportunity to provide input on the issue of developing criteria needed to establish interim separation zones when surface clean-up work is being done on the coke ovens site.

Agra Earth and Environmental Ltd. are the consultants developing the criteria needed to establish the interim separation zones that will act as a buffer between clean-up activities on the coke ovens and tar ponds sites and adjacent properties.

"We want to ensure this project reflects the concerns of the community," said Dan Fraser, chair of the Joint Action Group. "That's why this public meeting is so important. The community is very interested to know more about the nature of this work. What will happen when future activities get under way -- such as the removal of the remaining coke, the old building structures and the stacks."

This separation criteria work is intended to complement the Phase 2/Phase 3 Environmental Site Assessment. The tender for that work was released Aug. 28, 1999.

"Residents living near the site have been wondering about the development of separation zones," said Mr. Fraser. "This public meeting will provide answers to their questions about buffer areas and give them a chance to have input into the process."

Agra's public meeting will be held at the Leisure Gardens, Vulcan Avenue, starting at 7 p.m. Monday.

The mandate of the Joint Action Group is to seek solutions to the environmental and health risk associated with the Muggah Creek watershed as outlined in a memorandum of understanding signed with their partners, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, the Province of Nova Scotia and the Government of Canada, dated Sept. 19, 1998.