Province Launches Official Cleanup Website

SYDNEY TAR PONDS AGENCY--Province Launches Official Cleanup Website

The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency today, May 12, launched a new website containing comprehensive information about the Sydney Tar Ponds cleanup project.

The site features detailed descriptions of the Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens, the cleanup plans for each site, technologies to be employed in the cleanup, the history of cleanup efforts and the $400 million federal-provincial agreement signed today.

There are sections for contractors and journalists, and a library where the public can download copies of all technical reports carried out in preparation for the cleanup.

The site also includes the latest air quality readings in Sydney, current contracts and pending tenders on the project, as well as examples of communities that successfully faced similar cleanup challenges.

The website -- http://gov.ns.ca/stpa -- was launched at noon today, as part of the announcement of a $400 million, federal- provincial plan to clean up the Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens using technologies that have proven safe and effective on similar environmental cleanups in other communities.

It was prepared by the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, the provincial agency responsible for preliminary cleanup work, and MediaSpark, a Sydney software and website development company that specializes in the effective use of design and technology.