Unknown odour at DeWolf Park in Bedford, N.S. deters visitors

The smell at the DeWolf Park in Bedford, N.S., is forcing some people to avoid the area.

People flock to the paths lining the Bedford Basin. A walk around the water is good for the soul but there’s something in the air that is ruining the experience.

“It’s absolutely putrid,” says Donald Kerr.

“As soon as we start to smell it, we want to leave,” Pat Steele adds.

Many are pointing a finger at the nearby Mill Cove Wastewater Treatment Plant.

“The wind is the indicator depending on which way it’s blowing. Some days you won’t notice it at all other days. It’s fairly strong,” resident Ken Strang says.

Calls are coming into Halifax Water to complain. Officials with the utility say they are looking into the cause.

“We can’t pinpoint an exact reason. There’s several reasons it could be, a timing in the treatment process as well as external factors such as the weather, wind, humidity,” says Senior Communications Advisor for Halifax Water, Brittany Smith.

The plant services over 105,000 people in Sackville, Beaver Bank and Bedford. When the facility was built there wasn’t much in the area but today there are apartments on either side and it’s adjacent to Admiral Harry DeWolf Park where people picnic, walk or sit and relax.

Residents say the smell is driving them away.

“I have certainly seen the impact of it. It’s very popular park and it’s become even more popular in recent years. Our population is increasing in Bedford, so it has become a prime gathering place,” says Bedford-Wentworth Coun. Jean St-Amand.

On certain days, the stench forces Kerr to change the route for his walk.

“We who walk here enjoy walking here and when we get something like that, it puts you off walking or you cut your walk down to make sure you’re out of the range of the smell,” he said.

Halifax Water is asking anyone to call when they notice a smell and staff will see if that coincides with operations at the plant - an attempt to find out why the air is so foul.

The Mill Cove plant is approaching 60 years of age. There was some work done on it in the 1990’s. Another round of upgrades to increase capacity are planned for 2031.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page