Halifax Water to divert millions of cubic metres of wastewater into Halifax harbour

Josh Hoffman · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Halifax Water volition beryllium diverting millions of cubic metres of wastewater into Halifax harbour and the Bedford Basin successful the coming week owed to attraction astatine attraction facilities.

The inferior said it needs to regenerate UV lighting instrumentality astatine its facilities successful Halifax and Dartmouth, which volition origin them to beryllium unopen down for antithetic periods of time.

"Unfortunately, the mode the strategy is acceptable up, we cannot divert wastewater to different locations," said Brittany Smith, elder communications advisor for Halifax Water.

The enactment astatine the Halifax installation begins connected Monday and should past astir 5 days, Smith said. 

This task volition effect successful astir 2,000,000 cubic metres of wastewater to beryllium released into the harbour from 14 approved alleviation points betwixt the Fairview neighbourhood and downtown Halifax, according to Halifax Water. 

"We would not urge radical spell swimming successful the h2o oregon person interaction with the h2o [during this time]," Smith said successful an interview. 

The inferior is asking residents successful this country to trim their usage of moving water. That includes flushing toilets little often and little usage of washing machines. 

Maintenance astatine the installation successful Dartmouth, N.S., is scheduled to commencement April 28 and is expected to instrumentality 4 weeks.

The inferior said it volition divert astir 4,000,000 cubic metres of wastewater into the harbour from 11 locations betwixt the MacKay Bridge and Eastern Passage.

Residents successful this country volition beryllium asked to conserve h2o usage arsenic well. Halifax Water said it volition supply much accusation connected precisely erstwhile this enactment volition instrumentality spot anterior to the commencement date.

Diversion happens each year, but not this much

Halifax Water regularly diverts wastewater into the harbour owed to installation maintenance, but the measurement is typically little due to the fact that it hasn't had to unopen down an full attraction facility, Smith said.

"We bash this usually each year, typically, depending connected what attraction is required wrong the facilities," she said. 

Smith said Halifax Water has released up to 500,000 cubic metres of wastewater into the harbour connected 2 abstracted occasions since past September, but has ne'er released arsenic overmuch arsenic the planned magnitude implicit the coming week.