Halifax mayor starts countdown to swim season in harbour

Swimmers get ready. Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly says the harbour could be clean enough to splash around in this summer.

Kelly gave his prediction to the Halifax Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.

"If the test results continue as they are, we hope to see people swimming at Black Rock Beach and the Dingle this year," he said to applause. "That's something we can all be proud of."

That's good news to chamber president Valerie Payn.

Payn once hosted a group of her neighbours to ask them about their biggest dreams for the municipality. One said he wanted to swim in the harbour.

"Guess what? We're going to do it soon. I can't wait to tell that guy what I heard here today. I might even have him swimming before the summer is over," Payn said.

The Halifax harbour has been a dumping ground for raw sewage and storm water, soaking up more than 181,000,000 litres of untreated water every day.

The $333-million Harbour Solutions project is nearing completion. A new sewage treatment plant on the Halifax side of the harbour is up and running.

A second plant on the Dartmouth side is expected to be completed within a few months, which will bring about significant improvements to the water quality in the harbour, the mayor said.

A third treatment facility for Herring Cove could be ready by late this year.