A steering committee says bacteria sources found in the Shediac watershed must be addressed but couldn’t identify them precisely.
(Paul Hantiuk/CBC) ​The government released its long-awaited final report from a steering committee Friday on water quality at Parlee Beach, and made 14 recommendations that will be implemented at a cost of $760,000.
But the committee said it couldn’t be sure.
Jacques Paynter, an engineer from Amec Foster Wheeler and the project manager, spoke about the findings and recommendations at a news conference in Shediac.
Among the recommendations made by the steering committee is one to conduct a targeted investigation to verify if on-site septic tanks are a potential source of bacteria in high-density areas with substandard building lots.
The steering committee’s report also suggests the development of a tool to predict water quality with relevant data that could be used by the province’s medical health officer to issue "no swimming" advisories.
When bacteria guidelines were exceeded at Parlee Beach last summer, the weather, especially the wind, was one of the causes, the report said.
He added he is happy the government is committed to continuing testing into next summer, but said the report has left him with more questions than answers.
The creation of the steering committee was announced soon after a report by the Shediac Bay Watershed Association found high levels of human fecal bacteria in the Bay of Shediac.
Under those, the beach saw no-swimming advisories on nine days last summer.