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Get ready for a rumble.
Stelco will blow up a 50-year-old blast furnace Sunday morning.
The explosion should be heard throughout Hamilton and parts of
Burlington. If you stood 1,000 feet away from the blast, the noise could
reach up to 128 decibels, said Stelco spokesperson Helen Reeves. A loud
rock concert is about 115 decibels.
Stelco stopped using the 76- metre (250-foot) high furnace four years
ago. It was built in the early 1950s.
On Sunday morning at 11 a.m., explosives will demolish the furnace.
The steelmaker will not allow spectators onto company property. No
provisions are being made to watch the demolition.
The best vantage points would be Sam Lawrence Park and other open
spaces on the Mountain Brow.
Stelco will recycle the metal in the waterfront landmark.
Colin Osborne, Stelco's chief operating officer, said the steelmaker
will recover 12 to 15,000 tonnes of steel to be used in its operations.
Thanks to a hot steel market, Stelco has more orders than it can keep
up with and needs all the steel it can get.
The public will not be allowed within 1,000 feet of the blast site,
which is mostly Stelco land in the north end of Hamilton, on Sunday
morning.
Stelco is working closely with the city to ensure the explosion
complies with all rules, CEO Courtney Pratt said in a letter to
employees. "Stelco is also providing advance notice of the
demolition to neighbours, community groups and all levels of
government," Pratt wrote.
He said surrounding residents do not need to evacuate.
"Any waste materials will be shipped out of the area by the
company in compliance with environmental requirements," the letter
said.
John Steele, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, said
"we've had some discussions with Stelco about this, and the Stelco
officials have removed any hazardous material from the furnace itself.
Zinc, lead and asbestos were removed from the structure. What remains is
an empty steel shell.
"We would expect that there will be some iron dust emissions, but
there is a 1,000-foot perimeter from the centre of the blast furnace,
which is almost entirely on Stelco's property," he said.
The ministry has "air monitoring around Stelco," Steele
said. "And we do have a 24-hour reporting line and response program
in that area should there be any problems."
Reeves said the blast has been designed so that most of the noise and
debris will go toward the water.
"Explosive demolition is faster and exposes workers to less risk
than other procedures," Pratt said.
Triple M Demolition, an independent contractor, will carry out the
demolition. Triple M has done similar work for Algoma Steel, Inco and
National Steel Car.
tperkins@thespec.com
905-526-4620
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