Swimming event shows changing perception of the once-filthy Halifax harbour
HALIFAX — Ten years ago, the thought of going for a swim in Halifax harbour would have made some Nova Scotians cringe — but after a successful public swimming event was held Sunday afternoon, an oceans advocate says it seems there’s an appetite for a swimming spot on the waterfront.
Anika Riopel launched the Jump In campaign last year, an initiative looking to change the city’s perception of the harbour, which was once the go-to spot for dumping raw sewage.
Before three wastewater treatment plants started operating in 2008, the harbour was fouled by 180 million litres of sewage every day. That’s enough to fill 72 Olympic-size swimming pools, topped with an icky assortment of brown “floatables,” condoms and tampon applicators.
But Riopel, a former environmental sustainability student at Dalhousie University, said efforts to clean up the harbour in the decade since have been successful, and water quality testing shows the harbour is now just as safe to swim in as other popular swimming spots in Halifax.