New Protection for Watershed

Environment and Labour Minister Kerry Morash announced today, Jan. 19, that Halifax Regional Municipality's (HRM) Bennery Lake watershed will be designated as a protected water area under the Environment Act.

The decision was reached following a recommendation from an advisory committee that included HRM, Environment and Labour, and Natural Resources, in consultation with the community and local land owners. The designation establishes the regulations that will govern activity in the area, including construction of roads, forestry management and recreational activities.

"HRM has been proactive in developing a multiple barrier, due diligence approach to protecting this water supply. This kind of wise resource management is just one of the steps municipalities can take to ensure Nova Scotians continue to have access to safe, clean drinking water," said Mr. Morash.

"This latest designation is part of HRM's long-term protection plan for its municipal water supply. We want to ensure that our users have access to high-quality, safe potable water supplies," said HRM councillor Krista Snow.

Nova Scotia's Drinking Water Strategy promotes the protection of watershed areas as the first step in a multiple barrier approach to protecting drinking water. That approach calls for a series of safeguards along the water supply route to protect water resources. The three lines of defence are: -- Keep clean water clean - protecting the source; -- Make it safe - treatment to remove impurities; -- Prove it's safe - ongoing water monitoring and testing.

Although there are no households drawing water from this source, the treated water supply serves businesses in Aerotech Park, the Halifax International Airport and the adjacent commercial area. The current HRM water filtration plant, which meets Canadian Drinking Water Standards, was commissioned in 1988. However, Bennery Lake had been a source of potable water for the Halifax International Airport since the 1960s.

The Bennery Lake watershed designation is the second since the strategy was released more than a year ago. Protecting the source is one of the most cost-effective steps in protecting drinking water because it can reduce or eliminate expensive treatment options.