I live in bedford, overlooking DeWolfe Park, and walk to work on a daily basis.
This morning, I was shocked and appalled to notice a horrible stench in the air. I first noticed it when walking my gf to the parking garage and thought someone might have spilled some compost or garbage in the building, but as soon as I started walking to work, I couldn’t believe how horrible the smell is and realized it wasn’t the building.
The sewage is washing up with the wind from the harbour to the bedford basin and the stench is just unbearable.
Halifax is truly disgusting and it’s unbelievable that a developed country like this cannot get it’s shit, literally, together.
For god’s sake we’re becoming worse than under developed countries.
This is truly appalling and something has to be done about it.
I’ve already contacted Global, CTV, CBC, and the federal department of Environment.
I have no idea what happened to Peter Kelly and his ideologies but he’s no longer the mayor of this city. Peter Kelly step down and let someone else handle this mess!!!
—Disgusted!
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2009.
Yes it is gross. But if you think “we’re becoming worse than under developed countries” you obviously haven’t traveled much.
Dumping shit in the harbour has been the status quo for 250 years. They’re working on fixing it. It’ll get done. Suck it up (not literally).
OH my god! The problem has moved into Bedford! Call the Coast Guard! And the military! And the media!
This has been happening for centuries.. Why is it suddenly a big deal now? I hate it too, I always have. But don’t act like this is a new problem.
What gets me is that if a private company had won a contract for the sewage NOT FOR ONE MINUTE would they be permitted to dump shit in the harbour no matter WTF went wrong.
Maybe Bedford should change its name to Shitfoot Creek.
OP should cruise Barrington near the Trade Mart sometime – that stink could peel bark off a tree.
How and where does Bedford dispose of it’s sewage?
The biggest issue is that it was “fixed” and that solution was not executed appropriately and now we are back to where we started. Do you honestly think that since we dumped our sewage in the harbour 90 years ago, we should also go back to considering women to not be a person and revoke a woman’s right to vote. The response that ‘we have done it before what is the big deal’ is appalling. It is the exact comments that I hear out of our city councillors mouths that drives me nuts. I haven’t been paying extra to my water bill each month so that they could come up with a temporary solution.
Fix it and fire the people who were responsible for the mistake…and not a peon, someone who is actually accountable.
It’s not a matter of “we’ve done it before, it’s not a big deal”. What we have to accept, however, is the fact that the plant broke down and it’ll be nine months until it’s running again. Nine months. I think we’ll make it.
I wish they could do something about the “floatables” in the meantime though. I wonder if it’s that big a deal to replace the screens and just clean them more frequently.
hmmm.. interesting comments.. man Haligonians sit back and take it up the ass with a smile :).. I love it!:)
I think miles is the only one with a sensible comment on here.
The harbour was never this stinky nor this dirty.
Before the whole harbour clean-up, we actually had something in place, and those screens were working. Now they took out the screens and the stench is just unbearable!
Of course things will never change, since we have nothing but people with your mentalities sitting and accepting the situation.
They are trucking the ‘sludge’ from Dartmouth out here to Elmsdale, smells great & where they are “storing it” allows runoff to go into the Shubie River. Just come out to Elmsdale drive past the ‘landscaping sod farm’ at the lights & before you get to the river on road to Dutch Settlement you’ll smell it & see the “Stain” on the road !
“people with your mentalities sitting and accepting the situation…” I take HUGE exception to that, Random!
India is the only I’ve been that stinks more.
But you’re forgetting, guys, IT’S BEDFORD. Nothing but crystal clear waters will do in holier than thou BEDFORD.
OH NOES POOP IN THE BASIN. OH FUCKING NOES.
Nevermind those poor schleps who have to work at the Dockyard and get to smell shitty bathroom smellx1000000 all day long…in the summer heat. blech.
Imagine being a fish. Ewwwww
Two points:
— the sewage produced in Bedford goes to the Mill Pond sewage plant, which was constructed to secondary treatment standards in 1969 (the new Halifax plant only met primary treatment standards).
— the situation with the failed Harbour Solutions is actually worse than before harbour Solution—the old non-system had the sewage spread out over a few dozen outfall pipes, while the new system concentrates it at eight (see my article on the news page for more details). That means in some places, the stink is far, far worse that it had ever been in the past.