The town of St. Mary’s on the southern Avalon is finally making headway in cleaning up what it calls a disaster zone.

An attempt to produce fish sauce in the old fish plant did not end well with vats of rotting product left inside. St. Mary’s Mayor Steve Ryan sees it as an environmental disaster waiting to happen.

The provincial government allocated money in this year’s budget to hire a consultant to clean up the mess and dispose of the contaminant.

He says the town was given the bum’s rush by the ones who should have been responsible for the cleanup – the federal government. He commends the province for stepping up to the plate.

Mayor Ryan says the federal government consistently refused to acknowledge the problem.

The minister of environment said it was not an environmental issue. I told him to come down, have a look, have a cup of coffee, and see for himself,” Mayor Ryan told VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly. “If you think this is not environmental – running that stuff onto the beach and into the ocean. We hope to have it done by the end of August.”

The product will be transported to Sunnyside for disposal.