Halifax harbour sewage stench prompts addition of deodorant blocks

The stench of sewer gas in Halifax harbour has forced municipal officials to install carbon filters and large deodorant blocks to deal with the odour.

Crews from Halifax Water, the municipal water commission, routinely test for hydrogen sulfide, a highly flammable gas that can be both an irritant and chemical asphyxiant.

CBC News has learned that gas meter readings taken Monday around the Halifax casino prompted officials to install the filters and blocks at two locations in the catch basin in the area.

The carbon filter traps the gas, while the deodorant block masks the smell.

James Campbell, spokesman for the Halifax Harbour Solutions project, told CBC News the gas levels were not dangerous.

The sewage stench is particularly strong near the casino, which is near the failed sewage treatment plant. About 82 million litres of raw sewage a day has been pouring into Halifax harbour ever since the $54-million plant malfunctioned in January.

Halifax regional council voted Tuesday to meet in private in two weeks and get a first look at an interim report on the cause of the malfunction.

Meanwhile, Campbell is asking for patience as officials try to get the plant back up and running for spring 2010.

He said the harbour is still better than what it was three years ago before the Harbour Solutions project. The Dartmouth sewage treatment plant is still operating, he noted, and the plant in Herring Cove is set to open later this year.

The latest chapter in the saga of the failed Halifax sewage treatment plant comes as the city prepares to host the Tall Ships Nova Scotia Festival 2009.

Campbell expects the event will still be a success.

"The tall ships were here for at least three or four times previous to Harbour Solutions, and the events all went off very well by all accounts," he said.