Mayor Peter Kelly will demonstrate that Halifax Harbour-fed beaches are safe to swim in today.
Kelly called the dip a “public show of confidence” in the water quality at Black Rock beach in Point Pleasant Park.
The beach, which has been intermittently opened and closed for almost two months, is one of two harbour-fed beaches in HRM.
The $54-million Halifax sewage treatment plant was brought back online in June, stopping raw sewage from flowing into the harbour. Kelly told Metro as long ago as December 2009 he planned to take a dip after the plant came online.
But he said he doesn’t think the gesture is too late in the season, thanks in part to the current heat wave. “It’s the last day … before kids go back to school, so it will be a great way to end the summer,” he said. “And it’s also going to be a warm day, so it’ll be a good way to cool off, so we thought ‘good day to have it.’”
The mayor is inviting the general public to join him in his swim, making a special invitation to kids to make one more splash before heading back to the dreaded classroom.
Swim
Mayor Peter Kelly is scheduled to go swimming at Black Rock beach today at 11:30 a.m.
