Causeway study imperative before pollution worsens

Eddie Nickerson also wants to know the source of the fecal coli forms that have raised the pollution level near the Causeway beach and in East Bay high enough to close the area to clammers several times in the past few years.

Nickerson says council wants someone to take ownership and identify what the problems are and solve them before they become a bigger issue.

“We’ve had communications with almost every department federally and provincially: the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Natural Resources, the Department of Environment and Labour, and the Department of Transportation. This has been an ongoing thing for at least four or five years,” he said.

The most recent stonewall was a reply to a letter from council to Environment Canada:

“At this time Environment Canada is not aware of any pollution or potential sources of pollution in the area of the Cape Sable Causeway which would constitute a violation of the Fisheries Act or Canadian Environmental Protection Act.”

Construction of the causeway in 1949 changed the currents along the coastline of Cape Sable Island, removing sand from beaches and depositing it elsewhere.

“From here to The Hawk the beaches have changed drastically. Where there was sand when I was a teenager, there’s only rock now,” said Nickerson, who added that there is also concern about the western side of the causeway.

“I’ve had divers tell me that if they took their weight belts and stood on the bottom, they’d sink out of sight because of the built up sludge that’s being pushed in by the tide and can’t be washed out.”

The disruption of migration routes for pelagic fish like herring, mackerel and tuna has also upset the fishing community.

“I think the answer, the cheapest and most effective way to do it, is to put a hole in it, a 300-foot bridge, or some culverts or maybe even some turbines,” said Nickerson.

“If we had a better tide going through here would we get rid of the fecal coli forms?” he asked.