So... Hali Harbour is in the news...yet again. This time the Navy has dumped (accidentally) 8000 - 10000 litres of diesel fuel into our beloved "toilet".
Here is the story:
HMCS St. John's sits in Halifax harbour Wednesday morning, after it spilled fuel into the water. (TIM KROCHAK / Staff) Photo from the Chronicle Herald - http://thechronicleh...halifax-harbour
Military continues cleanup of fuel spill in Halifax Harbour
May 9, 2013 - 8:06pm CLARE MELLOR and DAVENE JEFFREY Staff Reporters
Military personnel and Department of Defence staff continued cleaning up a fuel spill in Halifax Harbour Thursday.
Although the exact size of the spill is not yet known, the navy estimates that between 8,000 to 10,000 litres of diesel fuel leaked from the frigate HMCS St. John’s into the harbour Wednesday morning as the ship was anchored off Dartmouth Cove.
Navy spokesman Lt.-Cmdr. Bruno Trembley said Thursday evening that they are fairly confident in those numbers, but they won’t know the exact size of the spill or exactly how it happened until the investigation is completed.
“The ship was preparing for fuelling,” when the leak occurred, Trembley said.
On board the ship, fuel from one tank was being pumped into another storage tank when the incident happened, he said. “It’s called internally consolidating the contents of our fuel tanks.”
By Friday afternoon, the military expects to be able to take the containment booms out of the harbour.
“The area they are cleaning right now is mostly in the vicinity of Alderney Landing. It is getting to the point where we have got mostly isolated pockets of sheen. The majority of it has all been cleaned up,” Mike Bonin, spokesman for CFB Halifax, said Thursday.
Six boats were in the harbour Thursday, and about 20 personnel worked along the shore on the cleanup, Bonin said in the afternoon.
Environment Canada officials were also on the scene again Thursday but did not respond to a media request for information.
“We are definitely working in co-operation with (Environment Canada) and we will keep working with them until they are satisfied that we have done all that we can for a good, safe cleanup,” Bonin said
Any member of the public who spots fuel on the water or around the shoreline can report it to an operations centre at 427-7043, Bonin said.
Mark Butler of the Ecology Action Centre said he is pleased with the cleanup effort.
Here is a link to the initial story: http://thechronicleh...halifax-harbour
Now accidents happen. That goes without saying... but 8 to 10 thousand litres of diesel?
So after the people of HRM have paid a fee on their water bills for the Harbour Clean-Up (for how long?); along comes the Navy and ... voila.
So in this situation...how do we recoup the damages?
The Navy and Environment Canada are on the scene...cleaning up. Our tax dollars. If Environment Canada charges or fines the Navy...our tax dollars. Federal Government pays some sort of compensation...again, our tax dollars.
No matter how you look at it...we pay.
The Harbour certainly has seen it's fair share of "accidents" and (of course) nearly 200 years of sewage. It is a working Harbour.
Also, we have the numerous Cruise ships ariving now. God knows if they're dumping their grey water as they enter our Harbour?
So here are a few questions.
How "clean" do you think the harbour will ever be?
How far and how much money should go into "trying" to clean it up?
Would YOU swim in Halifax Harbour?
Would you eat anything caught out of the Harbour? Mackerel? Lobster?
Do you have any suggestions in regard to assisting in improving the possibility of cleaning up the Harbour?
I'm just curious as to where folks stand on the Halifax Harbour clean-up. Some might consider it a lost cause; while others will suggest that, as part of our ocean, everything must be done to try to improve the situation.
What's your opinion?
Terran