Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly says the construction of two sewage treatment plants along the harbour is on time and on budget.
"The public … said get it done," Kelly told reporters during a tour of the sites in Halifax and Dartmouth on Friday. "We did."
The harbour is polluted by more than 181 million litres of untreated water every day, resulting in bacterial contamination and poor water quality.
Mayor Peter Kelly led reporters on a tour of the Dartmouth site. (CBC / Pam Berman)
Under the new treatment system, sewage will be screened, the sludge removed, and the liquid exposed to ultraviolet lights before being sent into the harbour.
Coun. Andrew Younger compares it to a backyard pond system.
"The water from the pond comes in, and it flows up. They remove the sludge. It goes through the UV lights and odor control if you need it, and back into the system again," he said.
Sewage will pass through big pipes. (CBC / Pam Berman)
The cost for this system is $333 million.
The Halifax treatment plant is scheduled to be up and running by this time next year. The one on the eastern side of the harbour, about six months later.
The Dartmouth plant is not yet enclosed but next week its outfall pipe will be floated down the harbour on barges from Bedford and then installed.
Construction on the Herring Cove plant is expected to begin in a few months.
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