Sewage may be leaking into Lake Banook, report says

A new report suggests there is sewage leaking into Dartmouth's Lake Banook from the Mic Mac Mall area.

Stantec Consulting tested several locations near shore and in deep water in both Lake Banook and Lake Micmac between June and September last year.

It found samples of E. coli from dogs, birds, deer and people. The waste from human sources was found near an outfall on Brookdale Crescent.

Dartmouth Coun. Sam Austin said that means Halifax Water may have to investigate.

"If you have any lines cross-linked where they shouldn't be, then you potentially have a source of sewage going into the lake," said Austin. "So there's something to follow up on there."

Austin said he was surprised to learn that the prime location for bird waste is under the bridge between the two lakes. It is a popular spot for pigeons.

"Certainly ducks and geese are a contributing factor, but the hot spot was the bridge, so we may need some netting under there," said Austin. "Who knows?"

The Stantec report also shows that ongoing weed harvesting in the two lakes is keeping phosphorus levels in check.

The consultants recommend that the weeds continue to be cut. Austin said there is money in the 2019-20 budget for weed control.

Other recommendations include changes to road cleaning and salting to reduce the impact of any runoff.

The report was presented to the regional watershed advisory committee on Thursday. Any policy changes will have to be approved by regional council.