Heavy rains cause sewage to flow into harbour
Posted May 13, 2011 10:55:29 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The deluge of rain the Maritimes received this week has caused untreated sewage to flow into Halifax Harbour.
The Halifax Regional Water Commission said this is standard procedure anytime there are heavy bouts of rain.
Spokesperson James Campbell explains the system is designed to treat four times the average dry-weather flow.
“When the treatment plants reach capacity, where they cannot continue to treat the excess flow, these combined sewer overflow chambers … take the sewage, they screen it and then discharge the water into the harbour,” explained Campbell.
The sewage overflow is screened for floatables, but is not treated.
“The report that there is raw sewage going into the harbour is quite incorrect,” said Campbell referring to a report by another media outlet.
He stresses at no time do the plants stop treating water, even when they are at capacity.
