Mine Closure Program in Cape Breton gives new life to old industrial sites

August 16, 2010

Coal mine sites, which have had a tremendous impact on the people and places of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, are now becoming environmentally-friendly spaces for people to admire and enjoy. This transformation is the result of a ten-year remediation program which has been planned and managed by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC).

As it approaches its final year, PWGSC’s Former Mine Site Closure Program is already being celebrated as a success story for meeting its goals, engaging the public and saving money for the Government of Canada.

The Program, which recently won a PWGSC Award of Excellence, is responsible for cleaning up over 1,000 square kilometres of sites associated with coal mining. PWGSC is managing the Program on behalf of its client, the Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation (which has taken on the former Cape Breton Development Corporation’s mandate to clean up former mine sites).

“In addition to the positive environmental impact of this Program, the money spent on the cleanup has brought significant benefits to Cape Breton's economy,” said the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of PWGSC and Minister for Status of Women. “The work being conducted at the various sites has led to business opportunities for local companies and suppliers and jobs for local residents.”

To date, approximately $120 million has been spent on planning, design, construction and environmental effects monitoring.

“One of the biggest challenges for the PWGSC project team has been to win over the trust of the people in the community, and that has meant understanding local conditions and the historical background,” said Eric Parsons, Project Leader for the Former Mine Site Closure Program.

Located in the Caledonia district of Glace Bay, the remediation work at the former Dominion No. 4 Colliery is now complete. Following rigorous planning, design and cleanup activities, a recreational plan was developed for the site. The municipality will maintain a soccer field, running track and walking trails for use by residents.

Coal mining has shaped Cape Breton. The first commercial coal mine in North America opened in Cow Bay (now Port Morien) in 1720. Since then, the mining industry has provided a livelihood to the people of the region but has also brought tragedy, evidenced by the memorials that stand in tribute to fallen miners in small communities all over Cape Breton.

Around 100 mines have operated throughout the Sydney coalfield, supplying industry with an energy-rich resource for power generation and steel making. Coal mining began to decline in the 1960s, sparked up again during the international oil crisis in the 1970s and then was more or less over by the turn of this century.

Since 2001, the Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation has been cleaning up and closing out its industrial sites. PWGSC has been overseeing all activities associated with environmental assessment, planning, design, implementation, site management and development of post-remediation monitoring programs.

With more than 700 properties scattered among 35 communities throughout the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, many of these locations range from fields and bogs to urban lots and industrial sites and even in people’s backyards. Clean up involves dealing with waste rock piles, mine water discharge, erosion, sinkholes, soil contamination and pollution of ground and surface water.

“PWGSC’s aim is to leave each site in safe and stable condition, returning it to its former land use or an acceptable alternative,” said Mr. Parsons.

Former mine sites are being turned into green spaces and walking trails with interpretative panels, such as the former Princess Colliery in Sydney Mines. Clean up work at the former Dominion No. 4 mine site in Glace Bay is now complete; in its place there is a soccer field and running track. Green grass is just starting to take root. Other remedial work includes erosion and drainage control, identifying and securing mine entrances and installation of passive wetland treatment to decrease iron concentration from mine water discharge.

Remediation work at the former Victoria Junction coal preparation and wash plant located in Sydney is complete. During the height of operations, Victoria Junction received coal from several nearby mine sites. The washed coal was then shipped by rail to Nova Scotia Power's Lingan Generating Station. A lush green hill is now visible where there used to be a large waste rock pile.

The PWGSC team used passive approaches where possible, protecting both the environment and human health as well as being economically practical. It developed an image of PWGSC in the community as a good neighbour, listening to people’s concerns and leading the way toward open communication.

The team reached out to the people of the communities directly, through open house sessions, by knocking on doors to hand deliver information and in one-on-one meetings in people’s living rooms. They made sure that local communities inconvenienced by construction received regular updates. This personal approach provided an opportunity to gain insight and get feedback from the community.

“We were able to address issues before they came up,” said Aaron Bower, a Communications Advisor with PWGSC, working on the program.

In one instance, a stone memorial for a miner stood on the site where a new water treatment plant was planned to be built. The communications team spoke with the family about moving the memorial stone a short distance from the original site, and the family agreed to its relocation. When the issue of the memorial stone was raised by others in the community, the team was able to inform them that they had already consulted with the family and the situation had been resolved.

Being proactive helped to foresee challenges and solve them before they turned into problems.

“People just want to be informed,” said Mr. Bower.

Thanks in part to this campaign, the PWGSC team is regarded as a leader in former mine site remediation. The team’s strategy has resulted in a high level of public awareness, understanding and acceptance of the work happening in the communities in Cape Breton. As the Program nears completion in the fall of 2011, PWGSC continues to monitor remedial activities to ensure they are performing as intended.

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