Park to replace infamous tar ponds in Nova Scotia

Canadian authorities revealed on Sunday plans for the final portion of  clean-up in the province of Nova Scotia, which will see $17 million spent on a park, sports field and an outdoor stage and amphitheater  as part of a project to revitalize an area where a former steel mill left behind contaminated soil.

The Sydney tar ponds and coke ovens remediation project will also include walking trails with bridges in the area formerly exposed to waste runoff from coke ovens. These were built in the nineteenth century and operated for over a century, which left a toxic legacy.

In 2007, the federal government and the province committed $400 million to guarantee the remediation of several former Sydney steel plant properties. They expect to complete all related work by the spring of 2014.

The tar ponds and the former Sydney Steel coke ovens have long been considered one of Canada’s worst toxic waste sites.

Image: Former steel plant, courtesy of TarPondsCleanUp