Nova Scotia pledges to help rid LaHave River of sewage straight pipes

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg has partnered with the provincial government to eradicate straight pipes that send sewageinto the LaHave River.

The two government bodies signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday, in which the municipality and province agreed to identify homes with straight pipesand develop a program to replace them.

Illegal in Nova Scotia

Currently around 600 homes are releasing 1,000 litres each of raw or partially-treated sewage through straight pipes in theLaHaveRiver, the Nova Scotia Environment Department said in a statement.

Straight pipes are illegal under the Nova Scotia Environment Act, which also states individual property owners mustmake sure their sewage systems are properly maintained.

The cause was championed by elementary school student Stella Bowles, who posted onlinetest results of river waterto pressure local politicians into action.

• Elementary school student Stella Bowles tries to end raw sewage in LaHave River

Government money requested

In June, the municipal council voted in favour of applying to the federal government's Building Canada Fund to the tune of $17 million.

If the application is successful, it will meana combination of provincial and federal money will cover two-thirds of the cost,Mayor DonDowne said Thursday.Homeowners will be expected to pay the rest over a seven-year period, he said.

"Homeowners will be paying their share," Downe said.

Future swims possible

The elimination of straight pipes could begin as early as March 2017, with the intention of having them entirely gone by 2023, Downesaid.

As for the river's water quality once straight pipes are eliminated, hydrology expert Rob Jamieson said in an emailitwill very likely improve.

"Assuming that the straight sewage pipes from domestic residences are the primary source of fecal microorganisms to the river, I would expect that the river would eventually be swimmable if these sources were removed," the associate professorwith Dalhousie University said.