Update – Sandy Lake – Wastewater overflow is now contained
(July 26, 2023) Halifax Water would like to advise residents that it has now contained wastewater at the Farmer’s Dairy Lane pump station and is no longer overflowing into Sandy Lake.
Since 1:00 pm yesterday, Halifax Water crews have been using vacuum trucks to transport wastewater away from the station to another facility at 243 Kearney Lake Road. This location has plenty of available capacity and is pumping the wastewater to a nearby wastewater treatment facility.
At 4:00 pm today, commissioning began on a new control system that will return the station to normal operation. Vacuum trucks will remain at the pump station until commissioning is complete.
We continue to advise residents, visitors and pet owners in this area not to participate in recreational activities that require water contact at Sandy Lake. This includes swimming and paddle boarding, etc. We have made the applicable federal, provincial, and municipal entities aware of this incident.
Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) will provide further information on when Sandy Lake can be used for recreation in keeping with its beach monitoring program.
Drinking Surface Water:
For local residents that have questions about the safe use of surface water for drinking, cooking and bathing, we strongly recommend that they follow the directions of Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change. For more information, visit SurfaceWaterQA.pdf<novascotia.ca/nse/surface.water/docs/SurfaceWaterQA.pdf>.
Reduce flushing as much as possible:
To keep wastewater flows within a manageable level as we commission the station, we ask customers in the areas shown on the attached map to reduce the amount of water they are flushing and pouring into their drains. To learn more, visit halifaxwater.ca/reducing-wastewater<file://hw-fs01/Data/Communications%20&%20PR/Jake%20Fulton/PSAs/07-23-2023%20Flooding%20damage%20to%20a%20Wastewater%20Pump%20Station%20Impacting%20Sandy%20Lake%20in%20Bedford/halifaxwater.ca/reduci…>.
We appreciate your assistance and will issue a follow-up announcement once we have restored the wastewater system to normal operations.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and are working as safely and quickly as possible to address the issue.
Warning about swimming in recently flooded areas:
Halifax Water agrees with the province of Nova Scotia and HRM’s advice that residents should avoid swimming for 24-48 hours in areas where flooding from excessive rainfall could contribute to higher bacteria levels in the water. These higher levels can come from a number of sources, including runoff and sewage bypass practices that are used in some areas during flooding events.
To ensure the safety of our communities and our staff, please maintain a safe distance when Halifax Water staff or contractors are working in your area.
For urgent concerns related to Stormwater, Wastewater or Water, please get in touch with our 24/7 emergency line at 902-420-9287 or direct message us on Twitter or Facebook @HalifaxWater.
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