Duffus Street wastewater pump station working again
Posted Aug 4, 2022 02:45:46 PM.
The Duffus Street wastewater pump station is working properly again.
Halifax Water says crews fired it up Wednesday evening and monitored it overnight.
All is well, so wastewater and stormwater are now being pumped to the Halifax Wastewater Treatment Facility on Upper Water Street.
The failure had resulted in screened but untreated wastewater being released into Halifax Harbour.
The utility says it should take about two days for “the harbour to return to its natural condition.”
“As this occurs, we caution residents and visitors about swimming or participating in recreational activities that require water contact,” Halifax Water states.
And those living in the pump station service area are no longer being asked to minimize their wastewater.
Emergency repairs had been completed earlier this week, but crews soon ran into another issue preventing normal operations at the facility.
Halifax Water says when they tested the pump, it was quickly clogged up with rags and wipes.
It says “flushable wipes” aren't actually flushable, and should be tossed in the garbage.
“These wipes do not break down and clog our wastewater treatment facility screens, filters, and pumping station pumps,” the utility says. “This is costly to Halifax Water in both time and resources during this critical period.”
It adds Haligonians to never flush anything other than the 3Ps of pee, poo, and paper.
