Agency Will Re-tender Cooling Pond Cleanup

The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency will seek new tenders for the cleanup of the former Sydney Steel Cooling Pond.

New tender documents will reflect recommendations of the independent panel that reviewed the environmental impact of the Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens cleanup.

The independent review panel made several recommendations about air monitoring, cap design, and solidification and stabilization, the main technology that will be used to clean up the cooling pond.

"The cooling pond marks our first opportunity to use solidification and stabilization," said Wilfred Kaiser, the agency's director of environmental services. "In light of the panel's recommendations, we're going to take the time to make sure we get it right."

Solidification and stabilization will also be employed in the much larger cleanup of the Sydney Tar Ponds. It uses hardening agents like cement powder to increase the bearing capacity of contaminated sediments, while chemically locking contaminants in place.

The panel urged the agency to conduct a pilot project to evaluate airborne emissions during solidification and stabilization, and to design effective control measures.

"The cooling pond presents an ideal opportunity to conduct such a pilot project," Mr. Kaiser said.

The agency will tender the revised project as an aboriginal set-aside. Only companies or consortia with majority aboriginal ownership and control will be eligible to bid.

As a result of the new tendering, the cooling pond project will be rescheduled for the 2007 construction season.