Concerns raised regarding salt brine released into Stewiacke/Shubenacadie river system

On Oct. 8, a small demonstration at the edge of a river raised awareness about 0, reads the Truro Daily News. Mi’kmaq representatives set eel traps as part of a protest to a natural gas storage project.

“Once we drop that first trap, then that is our treaty fishing grounds of the Mi’kmaq nation of the Shubenacadie district,” said spokeswoman Cheryl Maloney. “Once we drop these traps, if they want to interfere and infringe with us they have to deal with the courts and they have to justify to a very high standard of justification why they’re infringing on the rights of the Mi’kmaq First Nation,” she said. Alton Natural Gas Storage has plans to pump salt brine into the river system to create three storage facilities for natural gas from underground salt caverns in the area.

Fresh water from the Stewiacke River will mix with the salt being removed to form brine that is to be pumped through a pipeline system from the caverns to holding ponds near the mouth of the Stewiacke and Shubenacadie rivers. Company president David Birkett said precautions are being taken to ensure no harm will come to the eco-system and fish stocks and the project will be extensively monitored.