Annual Report 2000 - Halifax Regional Municipality

Major Initiatives
Harbour Solutions
F
or over 200 years sewage
from homes and
businesses has flowed
untreated into Halifax
Harbour. Since the
1950's, harbour pollution
has been identified as a
serious problem, and there
have been many attempts
to create a workable plan
to combat it. Two plants
have been built at Mill
Cove on the Bedford
Basin and in Eastern
Passage, but these only
treat 20% of the sewage
entering the harbour. In
the past few years,
improved harbour water
quality has become a
priority within HRM and
a plan has been developed
to address the situation.
The $315 million dollar
project will be completed
in phases and could take
up to 10 years to
complete.
Four new plants will be
built - two on the Halifax
peninsula, one in
Dartmouth, and one at
Herring Cove. All parts of
each plant will be enclosed
in a building with no
tanks visible and
incorporating extensive
odour and noise control.
On the Halifax
peninsula and in
Dartmouth, the
wastewater will be
intercepted along the
shoreline by collector
pipes and directed to three
treatment plants. In
Mainland South it will be
directed to the plant at
Herring Cove via an
existing collector and new
piping. At the plants, the
wastewater will be put
through advanced primary
treatment (removing up to
90% of the solids)
followed by ultraviolet
disinfection. The cleaned
wastewater effluent will be
discharged into deep water
in the Harbour well away
from the shoreline,
through a diffuser.
HRM will carry out
the Harbour Solutions
Project through a Public
Private Partnership (PPP).
The selection process
started in 1998 and it is
expected a partner will be
selected this Fall. The
partner will be expected
to work closely with local
residents and businesses in
the immediate
neighbourhood of the
treatment plants.
Community Liaison
Committees will be
established and will play a
role in minimizing any
negative impacts caused
by the Project and will
assist in the integration of
the treatment plants into
the neighbourhoods.
HRM residents and
visitors will be able to
witness and enjoy a
cleaner harbour: no more
floating objects, no more
visible plumes of
discoloured water and no
more thick build up of
organic sediments on the
harbour floor from
untreated sewage. After
200+ years, the character
of the world's second
largest natural harbour is
about to change.
Four Sewage Treatment Plants – General Locations
13