Boat Harbour, Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia's Boat Harbour has been used to treat waste from a neighbouring pulp mill since 1967.

Boat Harbour is a body of water on the Northumberland Strait in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.[1][2] Originally a tidal estuary, construction of a pulp and paper waste effluent treatment facility in the 1960s led to the pollution of the harbour and the source of ongoing environmental concern.[3] Treated water takes about 30 days to reach the Northumberland Strait.[4] Since the treatment system began operation in 1967, Boat Harbour has become polluted with dioxins, furans, chloride, mercury and other toxic heavy metals.[5][6][7][8] It is considered to be one of Nova Scotia's worst cases of environmental racism.[9] In 2015, the Boat Harbour Act wrote into law that the pulp and paper mill cease effluent treatment no later than January 31, 2020; soon after this took effect, the mill closed indefinitely.[10] The Boat Harbour Remediation Project aims to return Boat Harbour to its original state as a tidal estuary. Pilot scale testing has been completed and the project is undergoing a federal environmental assessment and cleanup is expected to begin in 2021.[11]

Boat Harbour is fed by several freshwater streams from spruce woodlands.[12] Known as A'se'k (IPA [ɑːseːk]) in the Mi'kmaq language, it was historically used by First Nations people for fishing, clam digging, hunting and recreation,[13] as well as a harbour for boats used to fish in the Northumberland Strait.[12] Pictou Landing First Nation have their main reserve, Fisher's Grant 24, adjacent to Boat Harbour, and two other unpopulated reserves nearby.

  1. ^ Chaudhary, Meenakshi; Walker, Tony R.; Willis, Rob; Oakes, Ken (1 August 2020). "Baseline characterization of sediments and marine biota near industrial effluent discharge in Northumberland Strait, Nova Scotia, Canada". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 157: 111372. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111372. PMID 32658714. S2CID 220518918.
  2. ^ "Boat Harbour". Geographical Names Board of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  3. ^ Hoffman, Emma; Bernier, Meagan; Blotnicky, Brenden; Golden, Peter G.; Janes, Jeffrey; Kader, Allison; Kovacs-Da Costa, Rachel; Pettipas, Shauna; Vermeulen, Sarah; Walker, Tony R. (20 November 2015). "Assessment of public perception and environmental compliance at a pulp and paper facility: a Canadian case study". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 187 (12): 766. doi:10.1007/s10661-015-4985-5. PMID 26590146. S2CID 3432051.
  4. ^ Romo, Jessica; Chaudhary, Meenakshi; Walker, Tony R. (August 2019). "Baseline assessment of contaminants in marine biota prior to remediation of industrial effluent impacted sediments in a former tidal estuary in Nova Scotia, Canada". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 145: 641–648. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.06.055. PMID 31590833. S2CID 198269105.
  5. ^ Hoffman, Emma; Alimohammadi, Masi; Lyons, James; Davis, Emily; Walker, Tony R.; Lake, Craig B. (September 2019). "Characterization and spatial distribution of organic-contaminated sediment derived from historical industrial effluents". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 191 (9): 590. doi:10.1007/s10661-019-7763-y. PMID 31444645. S2CID 201283047.
  6. ^ Chaudhary, Meenakshi; Quanz, Meaghan; Williams, Jim; Maltby, Ella; Oakes, Ken; Spooner, Ian; Walker, Tony R. (September 2020). "Assessment of metal(loid) concentrations using diffusive gradient thin (DGT) films in marine, freshwater and wetland aquatic ecosystems impacted by industrial effluents". Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering. 2: 100041. doi:10.1016/j.cscee.2020.100041.
  7. ^ Hoffman, Emma; Lyons, James; Boxall, James; Robertson, Cam; Lake, Craig B.; Walker, Tony R. (6 May 2017). "Spatiotemporal assessment (quarter century) of pulp mill metal(loid) contaminated sediment to inform remediation decisions". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 189 (6): 257. doi:10.1007/s10661-017-5952-0. PMID 28478542. S2CID 25958471.
  8. ^ "Pictou Landing First Nation and mill wastewaster in Boat Harbour, NS". The Council of Canadians. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  9. ^ Donovan, Moira (Mar 16, 2016). "Nova Scotia group maps environmental racism". CBC News. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Boat Harbour Act". Nova Scotia Legislature. Office of the Speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  11. ^ "About the Project". Boat Harbour Remediation Project. Communications Nova Scotia. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  12. ^ a b Clancy, Peter (2014). Freshwater Politics in Canada. Univ of Toronto Pr Higher education. pp. 27–35. ISBN 9781442609266. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  13. ^ "The Pictou Landing First Nation: Reclaiming the A'se'k Estuary" (PDF). East Coast Environmental Law Association. Retrieved 8 October 2017.