By Brian Hayes / Court Reporter

Halifax Regional Municipality was fined $5,000 Friday for spilling raw sewage into Bedford's Sandy Lake two summers ago.

The municipality also agreed to pay $2,000 of the cost of a provincial probe into the spill and $3,000 to stock the lake with trout.

Halifax Provincial Court Judge Hughes Randall also imposed a 15 per cent victim fine surcharge.

HRM also agreed to notify all Sandy Lake residents of the conviction and have the Environment Department train HRM field employees to deal with future sewer emergencies.

The municipality was charged after a sewer pipe 25 centimetres in diameter cracked Aug. 6, 2000.

On Aug. 12, raw sewage was discovered flowing into the lake near Giles and Hammonds Plains roads. Later that night, municipal employee Tim Burbine arrived at a pumping station about two kilometres from the lake and stopped the sewage flow by diverting it to another line.

On Aug. 13 he confirmed the flow had stopped, but that same day an Environment Department officer went to the lake after a complaint about raw sewage.

The department estimated 14,000 to 16,000 litres of sewage had entered the lake each day.

Mr. Burbine didn't inform his supervisor of the break until Aug. 14. He didn't know that failing to report it to the Environment Department was an offence.

Residents were notified of the contamination Aug. 15 and over the next two days signs were posted prohibiting swimming in the lake and drinking its water.

Water samples revealed a high level of fecal coliform bacteria which, if consumed by fish, animals or humans, can cause sickness and even death.

Although bacteria was found in dug wells, there was no contamination in drilled wells.

A boil order was issued and the municipality supplied bottled water to residents for at least a month. By Sept. 17, water samples had normal readings.

bhayes@herald.ns.ca