Due to this past weekend’s flash flooding, Halifax Water’s wastewater pump station on Farmer’s Dairy Lane in Bedford has flooded, causing a failure of the pump and its electrical systems. This station is now offline.
Halifax Water would like to advise residents living near Sandy Lake in Bedford that the wastewater system in this area is no longer operating as designed and is now overflowing directly into the Lake.
Until further notice, residents, visitors and pet owners should not 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 Water is developing a mitigation strategy to reduce the environmental impact on Sandy Lake. Our primary focus is on working as quickly and as safely as possible to bring this station back online.
Reduce flushing as much as possible:
To reduce the environmental impact during this repair, 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. This will help minimize the amount of wastewater released into the environment. To learn more, visit halifaxwater.ca/reducing-wastewater.
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 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.