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Fishermen say a pipe expected to carry treated wastewater into the harbor at Ingonish Ferry, N.C., could have a big impact on their business.
But Victoria County officials say the wastewater system is needed for commercial and residential development, and government regulators say the project complies with federal and provincial regulations.
Matthew Smith, whose family has fished the Ingonish ferry for generations, said the problem is the harbor doesn't wash away easily.
“Our water in this harbor is not moving,” he said. “It just circulates. It’s a bathtub, for lack of a better term.”
Smith used his fishing boat's sonar to create a 3D map of the harbor.
It shows that the pool is more than 20 meters deep, but its connection to the Atlantic Ocean is only four meters.
Smith said that means the tide won't disperse wastewater treatment wastewater well.
He said fishermen are not against the development and treatment of wastewater, but the runoff must go into the ocean.
Victoria County is building $15 million wastewater treatment plant to accommodate the Ski Cape Smokey development, where Cape Smokey Holdings is building 74 condominiums at the base of the ski hill.
He also has plans to build a hotel, brewery and other apartment buildings.
The sewage treatment plant is still under construction and the pipe extends into the harbour.
The drain is near where Smith and others regularly set lobster traps and is less than a kilometer from Smith's lobster refuge.
He stores his catch in cages in the harbor, awaiting buyers.
Fisherman Stuart Whitty also has a lobster shelter on the opposite shore, but says he draws water from the harbor near the drain to keep his catch alive.
At a public meeting earlier this year, engineers said the treated wastewater would be between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius.
Smith said the treated wastewater could cause the lobsters to stop moving and become trapped.
“Lobsters are very temperamental when it comes to water temperature,” he said. “Two degrees up or two degrees down will cause the lobster to stop moving completely.”
This will also leave them with a soft shell, making handling fatal.
“There's a lot of life in this harbor”
The harbor also offers mackerel, striped bass and trout fishing, as well as crab, oysters and mussels.
Gaspereau also passes through the harbor mouth to spawn in Freshwater Lake, which is connected by Dunphys Creek in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
“There’s a lot of life in this harbor,” Smith said. “This harbor is a really big ecosystem and it doesn’t need to be heated.”
Fishermen and others are also concerned about how the drain was installed. They say heavy equipment was brought into the harbor, stirring up silt and potentially harming fish and crustaceans.
However, the wastewater treatment project has federal and provincial permits.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it has reviewed the project and has no concerns.
The Nova Scotia Department of Environment has issued a permit to build the system, but once that is done, another permit will be required to operate the treatment plant.
County Councilman Tim Donovan said he has confidence in the engineers and environmental experts who approved the project.
“Personally, I live in the harbor,” he said. “My house is on the harbor and it doesn’t bother me too much.”
Smith and Whitty said the county did not adequately consult with them when planning the new system. They say people who attended a fishermen's meeting earlier this year were only allowed one issue.
“There was no public consultation and it was not the question-and-answer period we expected,” Smith said.
“It was a slideshow about what they were planning to do, and everyone only wanted to ask one question, and I myself have a thousand questions.”
Donovan said the consultation could have been better, but he is willing to answer questions or get answers from experts and the county is providing information to the public. updates on your website.
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