Raw Bridgetown sewage going into river

By Heather Killen

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

A Bridgetown resident is concerned that the town is not doing enough to keep raw sewage from flowing into the river, but a town official says the town is working on the problem.

John Colville, a resident of Court St., said he is disappointed at the lack of action the town has taken to correct a reoccurring sewage backup that occurs on the boundary of his property and Jubilee Park.

Whenever it happens, raw sewage flows into the Solomon Chute Brook that runs behind his property.

“When I can smell it in my backyard, it’s going too far,” he said. “You can see the toilet paper and sludge swirled around the Japanese Knotweed that grows along there.”

Colville said he first noticed the problem about 10 years ago and documented it with video. Despite his reporting it to the town, the problem has occurred periodically every year since.

Most recently, a backup in late September occurred during the Ciderfest weekend, when participants were in the Annapolis River as part of the cardboard boat regatta.

He added that the time lapse before the town detects and corrects the problem can last anywhere from 10 days to weeks.

“And the whole time raw sewage is being dumped into the river,” he said. “That might have been okay in the 6th century, but it’s not okay in this day and age.”

John Langmeade, chief administrative officer, said the town is aware of the problem. The most recent incident was caused when rags temporarily clogged the system and caused a backflow into the brook.

He added that the town is working on a new sewer treatment study and aims to access funding to install an early warning light system that would quickly notify them of any problems.