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Farmers and Consumers Pay Dearly

March 18th, 2010

This is the second in a two-part series about that can happen when one sticks their head in the sand rather than squarely facing as issue. The first Environmental Gremlin explored the widespread pollution of waterways in western Nova Scotia.

Canada’s Green Plan was launched in 1990 as the federal response to widespread public concern over human abuse of our shared ecological resources that began building in the 1980s. In the Annapolis Valley citizen interest was piqued by the involvement of the scientific community in how we are abusing our waterways.

In the 80s, the application for the Annapolis River to become the first Heritage River in Canada was stalling partly due to human impacts. There was clear evidence of serious bacterial contamination in the Cornwallis, Canard, Habitat and Pereau rivers that drain from the eastern Annapolis Valley into Minas Basin. Citizens were becoming alarmed.

In response, the province formed a special task force that was charged with investigating water quality issues in the Annapolis Valley. The group was composed of representatives from environment, agriculture, health and several other federal and municipal agencies with responsibility for water quality.

In response to public concern, a staff person with appropriate scientific skills initiated investigations of the problems and possible causes. This individual quickly discovered that the problems were severe and widespread. Depending on location, the causes were poor farm practices, malfunctioning municipal sewage treatment plants and uncontrolled development.

When it became obvious that there were serious issues, the protection of private interests started to emerge as the priority. Everyone blamed someone else but no one accepted responsibility. When this scientist began to talk about his findings, he was dismissed or quit depending who was asked at the time.

The agricultural industry, bureaucrats and politicians of the day buried their collective heads in the sand. Approximately 15 years later, they got a swift and hard kick in the part of their body still exposed.

A year or two after the Walkerton, ON water contamination crisis, several people in the Halifax area became severely ill after exposure to the same strain of coliform bacteria. In the course of their field investigations, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) asked if the Clean Annapolis River Project (CARP) had current data on water quality on waterways in the Annapolis Valley.

CFIA inspectors were shocked that water quality data and reports provided indicated that bacterial contamination was so severe in the four east Annapolis Valley rivers. They were equally taken aback that these waterways were being used for irrigation of food crops.

The standard for irrigating food crops is 100 fecal coliform colonies per 100 ml. Counts in the Annapolis River are often above that level and those in the Cornwallis River frequently exceeded 15,000 colonies per 100 ml. The other waterways were no better.

Because the CFIA inspectors were unable to replicate how the contamination had occurred, they were unable to pinpoint the exact cause although a common June food product was the primary suspect. The agricultural industry took notice.

Today, very careful records are kept throughout every stage of production for horticultural crops from the Annapolis Valley. Growers know the most minute detail from the time the crop is planted to final sale by the retailer.

Most Annapolis Valley growers are treating their irrigation water or using clean groundwater. While the capital investment and the annual operating expenses are adding to the cost of food being produced in the Annapolis Valley, our food is likely the safest in the country.


All of this anguish and expense could have been avoided. These 11 people, two of which almost died, did not need to get sick. All of this was preventable.

Today the situation has improved in the Annapolis but bacterial contamination, nutrient loading and uncontrolled water withdrawals are still chronic problems in the eastern Annapolis Valley rivers. Some improvements have been made on the root causes but there are still poorly functioning on-site septic systems and municipal sewage treatment plants.

The adoption of environmental farm management plans may have improved some agricultural practices but many problems still exist. Too many farmers still cultivate to the stream edge and allow their livestock free access to the contaminated water. Nitrogen contamination of groundwater in the eastern Annapolis Valley is widespread and not being addressed.

In Nova Scotia, farmers and consumers have and are paying dearly for our unwillingness to comprehensively address these issues. Sticking one’s head in the sand does not make the problem go away. All you get is a sore behind.

Comments are always welcome and can be addressed to stephenhawboldt@annapolisriver.ca