LaHave River far from in the clear despite pledge to purge straight pipes

This week, the province signed an agreement with the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg to replace 600 straight pipes, which currently allow raw sewage to flow into the LaHave River.

It may be a step in the right direction, but not everyone is convinced Nova Scotia's Department of Environment is doing enough to deal withinadequate sewage systems.

• Nova Scotia pledges to help rid LaHave River of sewage straight pipes
• LaHave River sewage cleanup to proceed with $17M application to replace pipes

Frank Fawson, a councillor with the municipality, says getting the province to police illegal sewage systems is the real issue.

"For 23 years, the municipality has been trying to encourage the Department of the Environment to do their job around compliance and it hasn't happened," he said.

Other systems'just as harmful'

Although straight pipes are the main culprit behind the river's pollution, Fawson says that other forms of inadequate sewage systems, such as a septic tanks that fill up and eventually empty into the main waterway, are just as harmful and should also be monitored.

"We may have a memorandum of understanding to deal with straight pipes, but it doesn't deal with everything," he said. "There could be a malfunctioning system right next to a straight pipe and it's not going to be dealt with."

According to Department of Environment spokesperson Heather Fairbairn, "individual property owners are responsible for ensuring they have adequate on-site systems to treat sewage and that they are properly maintained."

The science of a clean river

Adding to the issue is the question of how well the river will regenerate itself, if and when raw sewage ceases to pollute it.

According to Stella Bowles, the 12-year-old whose research propelled municipal and provincial government to act, she'll continue to monitor the river long after straight pipes are removed.

Since November, retired physician Dr. David Maxwell has helped Bowles with her research. According to him, their tests are not sampling for harmful bacteria, but rather the markers of contamination by sewage.

Not safe for swimming

He says that once straight pipes are eradicated, initial tests would start to show an absence of these markers within a matter of months. However, that doesn't mean the river is safe for swimming.

"Some of the other pathogens, particularly the virus pathogens, like Hepatitis, may persist in the environment for up to a couple of years," he said. "So, even if we got rid of all the straight pipes today, there would still be persistent viruses in the community, but they eventually get eaten up by other things and they go away."