Shediac businesses 'deeply worried' by inaction on source of Parlee pollution

The province is falling behind on some of the promises it made earlier this year to mitigate water quality problems at its most popular beaches.

This, after Parlee Beach experienced the highest levels of contamination of the season on the weekend, and Murray Beach saw one of its highest levels ever on record.

Water samples from Sunday show an enterococcus contamination count of 233 per 100 ml at Parlee, and 2,014 per 100 ml at Murray — way over the acceptable limit of 35 for the bacteria that indicate fecal contamination.

• Parlee and Murray beaches under no-swimming advisories
• Up to $3M announced to improve Parlee Beach water quality

In May, environment minister Serge Rousselle announced up to $3 million to address the sources of contamination at Parlee Beach in the short-term, while his department waited for a full report from a government steering committee that's expected in June 2018.

The money was tied to a list of 19 projects and studies.

These included half a million dollar to inspect and upgrade an old sewage lift station at Parlee Beach that's connected to a large, underground sewer network.

Another $40,000 was set aside to improve a sewage lagoon at Murray Beach, where government testing found untreated wastewater flowing into the beach on a number of occasions over the years.

The announcement further promised $75,000 to provide more effective pump-out stations to the Shediac Bay and Pointe-du-Chêne marinas, as an incentive for boaters not to dump their untreated waste into the ocean.

Last year, the Pointe-du-Chêne pump-out station was only used 46 times during the entire summer, with more than 600 boats passing through.

Another $50,000 was allocated to create an inventory of all the private septic systems around Parlee Beach, including trailer parks. 

Business owners worried

At the beginning of the season, the province introduced new water monitoring guidelines that included clearer signs to indicate high levels of contamination.

But business owners in the area say little else was done.

Ron Cormier, operator of Shediac Bay Cruises and president of the Greater Shediac Chamber of Commerce, said most of his members are deeply worried.

"As the weeks and months go by, there's not much that I've seen that's been done," said Cormier. "And I'm very deeply troubled with that."

"They've announced an investment — a huge investment – towards Parlee Beach to rectify the situation, and so far, the only things that we've seen are some signs," Cormier said.

At Auberge Gabriele on Main Street in Shediac, executive chef Sebastien Richard said he's seen his profits plummet by up to $8,000 in June.

He hopes the province delivers on its promises soon.

"There's a lot of people that come to Shediac for the beach and Parlee Beach is a well-known beach," said Richard.

The Pointe-du-Chene and Shediac Bay marinas still haven't received the new pump-out stations they were promised.

The province said that's because the equipment was back ordered.

But Cormier said time is running out.

"It's a five, six week short season for us here in the summer time," he said.

"In the months of January and February, nobody's using Parlee Beach. And we've had that time already."

The department of environment also said:

• The Parlee Beach lift station has been inspected, but the file was transferred to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for preparation of the design and tendering.
• A nutrient infuser was installed at the Murray Beach sewage lagoon and an ultra violet purifier will be installed soon.
• The inventory of the private septic systems is ongoing and expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
• The Department of Tourism is working with Transport Canada on the determination of a broader boater exclusion zone, with consultations scheduled for late July and early August. The installation of buoys farther from the swimming area is not likely to be implemented until 2018.