Harbour beaches could be back in business today: mayor
Posted Jul 20, 2010 05:25:14 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Another hot summer day is in the forecast, but if you’re heading to a beach to cool off, scratch the Black Rock and Dingle beaches in Halifax Harbour off your list of possible destinations.
The beaches have been closed several days now because of high bacteria levels – but Mayor Peter Kelly’s confident they’ll re-open soon.
Heavy rain last week resulted in an overflow that the sewage treatment plants couldn’t handle. As a result, raw sewage was dumped directly into the harbour again, barely weeks after the beaches were declared safe for swimming.
Mayor Peter Kelly says three days of positive test results are needed before the beaches can be re-opened – which could happen today.
“Depending on the amount of rain, it’s usually two or three days,” he said. “As I understand it, with a major amount of rain, which there was on Saturday morning, so if it’s the third day, it could be cleared up today.”
Lifeguards have been on duty the last few days, but only to keep people from going into the waters.
As for the mayor’s promised swim, Kelly says he still plans to take the dip within a week or so.
