The federal government has waded into the murky Halifax harbour mess, ordering the city to take measures to stop raw sewage from pouring into the water.
The Environmental Protection Branch of Environment Canada confirmed by e-mail Wednesday that it started an investigation on April 15 because of the harmful effect that sewage has on fish in the harbour.
Sources also said Wednesday that results from a forensic audit into the Jan. 14 malfunction at the $54-million sewage treatment plant in the city should be ready on Friday. But Mayor Peter Kelly said a final report may not be available for another couple of weeks.
On April 27, federal inspectors issued a directive to city hall to provide progress reports on its efforts to stem the flow of raw sewage and plastic and other floatables that have turned up along the waterfront since protective screens were removed from most or all of the eight sewer outfalls on the Halifax side of the harbour.
City officials said the screens were overstressed and were taken out to avoid damaging the machinery in the system.
“The inspector's directive issued by Environment Canada requires Halifax Regional Municipality to take all reasonable measures to prevent or mitigate the flow of raw sewage, a substance which is deleterious to fish, into Halifax harbour,” the government e-mail states.
Ottawa is investigating under the Fisheries Act.
In recent days, numerous media reports have detailed complaints from the public and business people about the stench from the harbour, along with sightings of tampon applicators and condoms.
City council was told about the federal investigation during a closed-door session Tuesday, CBC reported. Several councillors reached Wednesday refused to speak about the issue.
Mr. Kelly, though, confirmed that the federal government issued an official warning to the municipality.
“They gave us an order to rectify,” he told the Halifax Chronicle Herald by phone from Vancouver, where he is attending a meeting of mayors.
The mayor said there's only so much the city can do, as city staff still don't know what caused the malfunction, which flooded the plant with sewage and brought the operation to a standstill.
“If [Ottawa] has any ideas or monetary allocations to help” correct Halifax's sewage treatment trouble, “we're open to them coming up to the plate,” he said.
Mr. Kelly said municipal staff at Tuesday's closed-door session provided councillors with options for how to temporarily deal with raw sewage pouring into the harbour.
“They're looking at several options,” the mayor said. “But none has been chosen.”
The sewage treatment plant, part of the municipality's $333-million Harbour Solutions project, officially opened in February, 2008. A new plant is working in Dartmouth and a third one is being built in Herring Cove.
