The West Side Road includes the roadway that extends from the No. 3 Gate, past the Ferry Street entrance and the Scrap Yard, along the west side of the EAF building, to the entrance to the SYSCO docks. The roadway is paved for most of its length, with the northernmost 150 metres having a gravel surface.

No structures currently lie within this area, although its route transects the former location of the Old Yard Office, and a large building that was located approximately 100 metres north of the present day Administration Building. All required environmental decommissioning actions were undertaken prior to the demolition of the Old Yard Office in 2001. The nature of the “Mystery Building” is not known, and therefore specific environmental concerns cannot be defined. The building appears to have had a short life during the 1930s.

Several railway tracks cross and parallel this area,some of which have been abandoned and covered with slag. Environmental issues of concern associated with the rail tracks will include creosote rail ties and potential contaminated soil under and adjacent to the tracks. In the past, used oil was often used for dust suppression on roadways on the steel plant property.

Several small and large diameter sewers, some dating to the original steel plant, traverse the road at various locations along its length. Over the years, it is suspected that a variety of chemicals and petroleum products may have been disposed through the steel plant sewer system. These include the Rolling Mills process sewer that conveyed wastewater to the Cooling Pond, another sewer from the Mills Area that discharges to Muggah Creek immediately south of Ferry Street, and the process sewer from the EAF and No.2 Open Hearth buildings that discharges at the head of Blast Furnace Cove. The potential exists for soil and groundwater impacts at locations where these sewer lines may have leaked or deteriorated.

Southerly view of the No. 2 Open Hearth and Steel Shop. The Wes Side Road is visible to the right of the complex (EDM Photo).

In addition, the West Side Road skirts several current or former building locations that are of concern from an environmental point of view. These include the former Mobile Department shop, the former Gas Producers for the No. 1 and No. 2 Open Hearths, and the High Dump Tank Farm and associated pump house. The distribution piping for the tank farm passes beneath the West Side Road at three locations.

Potential environmental issues related to the West Side Road area consist of petroleum hydrocarbon, heavy metal, PAH, HNC and solvent impacts as a result of historic activities on adjacent sites. Specifically, these include used oil impacts to soil and groundwater as a result of dust suppression activities, PAH, HNC and heavy metals impacts from Gas Producers, PCB, heavy metal, solvent and petroleum impacts from process sewers, and petroleum hydrocarbons from nearby storage tanks.

Blast furnace slag was widely used as a fill material in this area. Various heavy metals are known to be present in blast furnace slag, but often in a highly immobile state. An important part of future environmental testing at this site will be the appropriate evaluation of heavy metal impacts in relations to their environmental risk.