The town of St. Mary’s says the cost to remove dozens of vats of rotting fish sauce from a crumbling fish plant will cost more than what was originally set aside for the work.

Environment Minister Chris Tibbs, who visited the dilapidated plant back in January after a wind storm caused extensive damage to the building, vowed at the time that government would clean up the site.

Tenders to remove the toxic material were issued earlier this year, but the lowest bidder has come in at $1.74 million, greater than the current internal project budget.

The town says it’s now working with the provincial government to secure more funding, and plans to move forward with the cleanup once the funding is secured.