Halifax Water is preparing to divert more than six million cubic meters of untreated wastewater into Halifax Harbor and Bedford Basin over the coming weeks as it carries out critical maintenance at two major treatment facilities.
Work begins today at the Halifax treatment plant, which will shut down for five days to allow for upgrades to its UV disinfection system. During that time, approximately two million cubic meters of wastewater will be released through 14 approved overflow points between Fairview and downtown.
A similar upgrade project is set to begin April 28 at the Dartmouth plant; that work is expected to take four weeks and will divert around four million cubic meters of untreated effluent from 11 sites along the waterfront between the MacKay Bridge and Eastern Passage.
This kind of diversion happens every year for maintenance, but not at this scale, said Brittany Smith, senior communications adviser for Halifax Water. In previous years, annual shutdowns have resulted in diversions of up to 500,000 cubic meters. This year’s total is more than ten times that.
Residents in the affected areas are being asked to voluntarily reduce water use during the shutdown periods—shorter showers, fewer toilet flushes, and postponing laundry when possible. The goal is to ease pressure on the system and limit the volume of diverted wastewater.
Halifax Water is also urging the public to stay out of the water for the duration of the work. “We would not recommend people go swimming in the water or have contact with the water,” Smith said.
