Mayor says he’ll be swimming in the harbour this summer
Posted Dec 23, 2009 05:44:08 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Halifax’s sewage treatment plant is on schedule to be fully operational this May, and Mayor Peter Kelly says he’ll take another dip in the harbour this summer.
Kelly made the symbolic gesture two summers ago when he declared the harbour’s beaches open. Then a power failure flooded the sewage treatment plant in Halifax, shutting it down – and sending raw sewage spilling into the harbour once again.
Kelly toured the plant on Tuesday, and said he’s pleased with the progress.
“You’re seeing the pump operational in terms of the four pumps that are there now, and there’s five new ones to come in,” he said. “So we’ll also have spare pumps here, and spare parts.”
Operations Manager Rory MacNeil says the plant is currently operating at about 60 per cent capacity, with waste being screened, but not treated. He estimates the plant should be fully online by May 2010.
MacNeil says there are several safeguards in place to make sure the plant doesn’t fail again.
Kelly says it’s been a rough road since the flooding.
“It really brought home some frustrations of course,” he said. “We came so far to get this plant in operation and to get the water back to being clear as it used to be decades ago.”
Kelly says the harbour will be “pristine” after the Halifax plant joins the Herring Cove and Dartmouth plants, and invited reporters and the public to join him for a swim later this year.
