The Nova Scotia Town of Trenton has been fined $100,000 for raw sewage deposits over a period of seven months into Lowden Brook, a fish-bearing tributary to the East River.
Lowden Brook supports populations of Speckled Trout, Brown Trout, and Atlantic Salmon, states an announcement of the federal Fisheries Act fine from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The town pleaded guilty to the violation.
On November 13, 2019, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers received a complaint of a strong sewage smell around Lowden Brook along North Main Street in Trenton, a Pictou County town of about 2,500 residents.
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“When officers conducted an on-site inspection, they located an outfall that was releasing what appeared to be raw sewage into the brook,” according to the fine bulletin. “It was determined that the outfall was connected to the Town of Trenton’s municipal infrastructure. Officers collected samples from the outfall and at the entry point into Lowden Brook for chemistry, microbiology, and toxicology analysis.”
Lab testing found high levels of E. coli at the outfall and the culvert, and that the effluent was toxic to fish. Environment and Climate Change Canada directed Trenton officials to develop a plan to stop the sewage flow and provide regular monitoring reports until it ceased, which occurred on January 3, 2020.
In a statement, Trenton officials said a blocked sewer pipe caused the backup of untreated sewage into a manhole, which then overflowed through an outfall pipe. The town replaced 200 feet of sewage pipe over the course of two days.
Trenton officials said they first became aware of the blocked sewer pipe in 2017.
“We acknowledge, and regret, that the appropriate steps were not taken to address this issue at the time it was discovered. We are committed to making sure this does not happen again, through further work on our wastewater and stormwater systems,” local officials said in a joint statement.
In addition to the fine, Trenton was ordered to refresh its training on the Fisheries Act and its requirements, as well as proper protocols for effluent sampling protocols for Trenton employees and contractors. The town was also ordered to complete routine sampling and publish emergency contact information and information about the incident and sentencing on the Town of Trenton website. The conditions must be met within 18 months.
The Town of Trenton will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.
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