The Sydney Steel Plant property has a long history of heavy industrial activity, dating back to a time when the potential environmental effects of such activities were not appreciated. Today, areas of the Former Sydney Steel Plant Lands bear witness to this history through the presence of century-old buildings, waste disposal areas, and the potential existence of environmental impacts. This report describes conditions on the site as of February 14, 2002.

As discussed in Section 4.0, the Former Sydney Steel Plant Lands may be divided into four general land use zones based on historic land use and industrial activities. To facilitate the discussion of potential environmental issues, each of the four zones has been subdivided based on historical and present structures and operations. In all, SEACOR Environmental has divided the property into 36 Site Classification Units (SCUs) for the purpose of this study. The SCUs are shown on Figure 5-1, found in the pocket at the end of this report.

Below, this history is discussed in relation to each of the SCUs. The discussion emphasizes the general types of environmental concerns associated with each area of the plant, and provides detailed information on particular operations and facilities.

All historical and modern facilities for making raw iron and steel at the plant were located in the Steel Production Area. From the beginning of operations, iron was made in the blast furnaces at the northern end of the plant and processed into steel in the open hearth furnaces located to the south. Large buildings and tall stacks have traditionally characterized this area, with the modern Caster Building and Electric Arc Furnace currently marking its southern limits. Related facilities such as calcining plants, kilns, gas producers and boiler plants were also located in this area.

A detailed discussion of each SCU located within the Steel Production Area follows. Potential environmental issues associated with each SCU are discussed at the end of each section. Historical building existence information is provided in Appendix D.

Dominion Iron and Steel Works, Sydney, C.B.