Harbour beaches closed as heavy rains raise bacteria fears One day after a city-sponsored party, two Halifax harbour beaches were closed to swimmers pending the results of new water quality tests.
Municipal officials shut down Black Rock Beach and Dingle Tower beach on Sunday because of heavy rains and fears that bacteria levels had risen.
Officials say this was a precautionary move after Saturday night's rain, not a result of unsatisfactory water tests.
James Campbell, spokesman for the Harbour Solutions project, said heavy rain in a short period of time can overwhelm the sewage system, and the chamber that collects sewage and stormwater can overflow.
"When that happens some screened raw sewage can be discharged into the harbour and in that event rather than be sorry to be safe we shut down the beaches," he said Tuesday.
Campbell expects to get the results of water quality tests by Wednesday afternoon. In the meantime, swimmers are banned from Black Rock Beach and Dingle beach.
Some hardy swimmers joined municipal politicians on Saturday for an official beach party.
Bacteria levels have dropped since the $333-million Harbour Solutions sewage treatment project got underway, prompting the return of lifeguard chairs for the first time in 30 years.
The municipality also hired divers to pick up some of the junk, shopping carts and beer kegs that used to line the bottom.
On Sunday, however, lifeguards at Black Rock Beach were telling swimmers to stay out of the water.
The municipality is also investigating a reddish discolouration in the water near the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
