The province will dig up Northern Pulp’s share of the toxic sludge in Boat Harbour.
It is expected to cost the taxpayer $19 million.
That’s on top of the $217 million the provincial and federal governments are projecting to spend cleaning up the site that has been treating the mill’s waste for half a century.
Boat Harbour was built by and continues to be owned by the province.
Northern Pulp was on the hook for cleaning up sludge that accumulated at the bottom of the aerated stabilization basin since it took responsibility for management, though not ownership, in 1997.
After the province forced the closure of the Abercrombie Point mill by legislating the closure of the effluent treatment plant over a year ago it directed Northern Pulp to submit a plan to clean up the sludge that accumulated since 1997 by last August. That deadline was subsequently extended to Feb. 28.
According to a press release issued by the province Monday night the mill failed to hit that deadline.
“We cannot continue to wait. Taking one management approach makes good sense to ensure it's managed in a responsible way and timelines stay on track," said Lloyd Hines, minister responsible for Nova Scotia Lands of government taking over that portion..
"Our ultimate goal is to return Boat Harbour, or A'se'k, to its original state as a tidal estuary. It's a commitment to the people of Pictou Landing First Nation and Pictou County and we intend to keep it."
But in a press release issued Tuesday, the mill claims it did submit a plan to the province.
“Over the past year, we have safely hibernated the aeration stabilization basin and on Feb. 28, 2021, we submitted a draft decommissioning plan to Nova Scotia Lands,” reads a statement from Northern Pulp. “During follow-up discussions, it was determined that the most effective way to achieve our common goal of remediating Boat Harbour is to have a single unified approach, instead of two independent projects.”
The differing accounts come as the mill works toward filing a new environmental assessment for a proposed replacement effluent treatment facility.
“Our team will now turn its full attention to developing plans to transform our operations and address concerns identified by the Environmental Liaison Committee,” reads the statement from Northern Pulp.
“ From our community engagement to forestry practices to addressing air and water emissions, the future of Northern Pulp will look vastly different.”
The Pictou Landing First Nation, which has long lived beside Boat Harbour’s pollution, and commercial fishing associations have opposed any plan that would see treated effluent going into the Northumberland Strait.
