Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
During Friday’s sweltering hot weather, some Maritimers visited lakefront beaches and were not able to swim due to high E. coli levels. This was the case for Haja Nabay and her son who stopped by Albro Lake Beach in Dartmouth Friday, only to find out that the beach was closed to swimming due to high bacterial levels deemed unsafe for swimming.
The Nova Scotia government has detected blue-green algae in Oat Hill Lake in Dartmouth, Armstrong Lake and Lake Torment in Kings County, and Covey Lake in Lunenburg County. The algae produces toxins that can cause illness in humans and can be fatal to pets. Blue-green algae occurs in all parts of Nova Scotia and once it appears in a body of water, it will bloom again when the conditions are right.
It has been a divided month weather-wise throughout April. Most of the month featured a blocking pattern that led to relentless clouds, fog, and drizzle for eastern Newfoundland, with fair conditions in other parts of that province and for most of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. There is one common trend across the entire region, though — it’s dry. How dry? While we have a few days left to add to these numbers, there’s little precipitation ahead for Atlantic Canada to finish the month.
After years of discussion, the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority made history Monday by becoming the first Indigenous water utility in Canada. The transfer agreement was signed in Dartmouth, N.S., by Atlantic First Nations Water Authority (AFWNA) CEO Carl Yates, Potlotek First Nation Chief Wilbert Marshall, and federal Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu.
The Halifax Regional Municipality is warning of a blue-green algae bloom at Penhorn Beach in Dartmouth. The city is warning people not to swim in the lake and to keep pets out as well. Lake users are urged to take the following precautions: Avoid water contact. If contact occurs, wash with tap water as soon as possible. Do not swim or wade (or allow your pets to swim or wade) in the water. Avoid consuming water from the lake. Avoid consuming fish from the lake.
Penhorn Lake Beach is a supervised beach. Municipal staff regularly test the water quality at all supervised municipal beaches, as well as two unsupervised beaches, during the summer months. Recent test results indicate bacteria levels at this beach exceed Health Canada swimming guidelines. High bacteria levels can be caused by a number of factors, including dogs, birds, wildlife, and high temperatures. Staff will continue testing the water until bacteria levels return to safe levels. The municipality will advise residents when the beach reopens.
A Dartmouth, N.S., councillor says work is underway to keep city beaches safe for swimming, including discouraging pigeons from roosting nearby and collecting storm water so it doesn't run into the lakes. But Coun. Sam Austin admits the amount of development around some lakes, such as Lake Banook in Dartmouth, poses significant challenges to water quality this time of year.
Penhorn Beach in Dartmouth, N.S., is closed to swimming until further notice due to high levels of bacteria in the water. Recent testing by city staff showed the bacteria levels exceed Health Canada swimming guidelines, according to a news release from the Halifax Regional Municipality on Friday. High bacteria levels can be caused by a number of factors, including dogs, birds, wildlife, and high temperatures.
Halifax Water will start infrastructure upgrade work on Friday that may affect the supply and quality of water in Dartmouth and surrounding areas for up to five weeks. A news release from the utility said the work being done is part of a 10-year plan to adapt water supply plants to a "changing climate." Customers in Burnside, Commodore Park, Crichton Park, Dartmouth, Eastern Passage, Ellenvale, Grahams Corner, Micmac Village, Port Wallace, Southdale, Tufts Cove, Wallace Heights, Woodside and Wrights Cove areas may experience lower water pressure, discoloured water and a change in the taste and smell of their water.
A blue-green algae risk advisory previously in effect for Birch Cove Beach at Dartmouth's Lake Banook has been lifted, according to a release Wednesday from the Halifax Regional Municipality. Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, occurs in freshwater environments and can multiply rapidly during the summer. Some types of blue-green algae produce toxins during blooms. Toxins may be released into the water when the blooms decay. However, test results showed no toxin-producing blue-green algae in samples collected.
A new water quality monitoring program has been approved for the Halifax region that will see 74 lakes sampled beginning in spring 2022. The lakes will be tested for algae blooms and E. coli, as well as phosphorus, chlorophyll and chloride. According to the municipality's manager of environment, the lakes have been chosen based on scientific criteria. "It's based on our current understanding of their vulnerabilities," said Shannon Miedema. "We do have a thousand lakes within our municipal boundaries."
Researchers from three Maritime universities are hoping microbes collected from the bottom of a lake near an abandoned gold mine in Dartmouth, N.S., will provide a model for how to clean up contaminated sites across the province in a quicker and less-intrusive way. Last May, a research team took a boat to the middle of Lake Charles, not far from the former Montague gold mine, where extensive mining took place from 1860 to about 1940.
