December 8, 2010
SYDNEY, N.S. - The Department of National Defence (DND) is continuing work to clean up former CFS Sydney, also known as Pine Tree Park. The Former CFS Sydney Underground Storage Tank Remediation Project is currently in the process of removal and disposal of contaminated soil left over from then when the Station was in active use.
"The Department of National Defence is continuing our work to ensure that this site is returned to conditions where it can be fully utilized by members of the Sydney community," said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. "We look forward to seeing the project completed and put the land to new and better use."
DND has awarded a contract for $2.8 million to B. Curry and Sons Construction Limited for the removal and disposal of approximately 30,000 tonnes of contaminated soil at the former CFS Sydney, also known as Pine Tree Park. The work is expected to be completed by Spring 2011.
Following the backfill, additional remedial work will include site restoration, continued monitoring of the nearby ground water well, and the installation of a ground water treatment system, if required. The former CFS Sydney Underground Storage Tank Remediation Project is anticipated to be completed by 2013.
The contract, awarded under the former CFS Sydney Underground Storage Tank Remediation Project, is in support of the Government's commitment to respond to existing environmental challenges, continue efforts to remediate this former DND site, manage risk to the health of this community, and protect the environment. The contract was awarded based on the results of an open, fair and transparent competitive process to identify the most suitable contractor.
The CFS Sydney Main Radar Site was originally built as a United States Air Force Base in 1953 and transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1961. The station was decommissioned in 1992 and sold to the County of Cape Breton, who in turn sold it to New Dawn Enterprises Limited (Cape Breton, N.S.).
In 2004, New Dawn Enterprises Ltd. discovered a leaking above-ground fuel storage tank at the site. Subsequent investigations by DND identified 35 underground fuel storage tanks (UST). At the time of transfer, DND disclosed all known information about the environmental status of the site. The presence of the USTs was not known at that time.
The Department of National Defence has accepted responsibility for the contamination caused by these underground storage tanks. It remains committed to addressing past environmental problems and to working cooperatively with New Dawn Enterprises Ltd. on the future of the former DND property now known as Pine Tree Park.
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