Bedford West sewage could be heading to Halifax treatment plant

Yvette d'Entremont, The Bedford Sackville Weekly News

Proposed amendments relating to the Bedford West development caused a bit of a stir at Halifax Regional Council last week and prompted Bedford's newly-elected councillor to defer any decision until he has solid answers.

The proposed amendments to the Bedford West Secondary Planning Strategy and Regional Subdivision Bylaw raised questions for Middle and Upper Sackville-Lucasville Coun. Brad Johns.

"Staff were proposing taking the equivalent of 230 acres worth of serviced land and shifting (its wastewater) from Mill Cove to the Halifax plant," he said. "That would allow a lot of extra capacity into the Mill Cove system. My concern was who will be accessing that capacity? Areas adjacent to Bedford? Or are staff planning something different?"

The May 13 staff report highlights several reasons for redirecting Bedford West sewage to the Halifax sewage treatment plant, including the fact it would likely be cheaper. Another suggestion was that it would free up capacity at the Mill Cove treatment plant to service other developments within its sewer shed.

"Areas designated by the Regional Plan for further serviced development include the Bedford waterfront, Sunnyside Mall area, Lower and Middle Sackville and potentially the Sandy Lake area," the report reads.

"There is land in my district that developers would like to be able to access, but can't because of issues of capacity at Mill Cove," Johns said. "When I asked the question of whether this had implications for District 19, I was told it could. The more I questioned the more 'could' seemed a greater possibility."

Bedford's new councillor, Tim Outhit, said he's also looking for more concrete answers about the proposed amendments before he's ready to make any decisions.

"I've asked that staff make a full presentation to council, not just to me. With my five hours of experience on the job when this came up, I felt I needed a thorough briefing and council supported me on that," Outhit said.

"I want definite answers that by diverting it (wastewater) from Bedford to the peninsula that we're not (negatively) affecting the peninsula or Bedford Basin. Until I have that information, I'm not willing to vote on it."

The issue is expected to come up at Halifax regional council again in a few weeks.