SUPERVISED SWIMMING IN AREA
HRM has a variety of beaches, lakes and outdoor pools, many of which are supervised by trained lifeguards every day of the summer, starting from July 1st until August 31st from 11 AM – 5 PM. (Please note there may be some locations without week-end service).

Trained by the Lifesaving Society, our HRM lifeguards have specialized training in injury prevention, first aid and are equipped with emergency supplies for a waterfront setting. All locations supervised by HRM staff will include daily maintenance and weekly water testing.

In District 3, three beach sites are provided:

WESTPHAL COMMUNITY BOUNDARIES
HRM is undertaking a project to ensure that everyone has a valid civic address. One of the first steps in verifying valid civic addresses is confirming community names and boundaries.  HRM staff is now working on Westphal. Notification letters and a drafted map of the area with the proposed community boundaries will be circulated in  this area. If you are interested in participating in this project, please contact Gayle MacLean at macleag@halifax.ca or by phone 490-4105 or by mail at PO Box 1749 Halifax NS B3J 3A5. Feedback is requested by July 31st, 2012.

WATERSHED STUDY PRESENTATION
Public meetings were held in Lake Echo and Porter’s Lake on May 14th and 24th  respectively to present the findings of the Final Draft of the Lake Echo / Porter’s Lake Watershed Studies. The purpose of these studies is to assess capacity of the receiving waters of Lake Echo and Porter’s Lake to assimilate future development. The  study was also designed to examine conceptual level options and costs for centralized wastewater management services and central water to the Porter’s Lake Centre and surrounding areas. These studies are being prepared to provide background information for future community visioning exercises to develop regulations for the areas.  The purpose of the public meeting was to receive comments from the public for consideration by the consultants as the report is finalized.  If you have any comments or questions, please contact Gordon Smith at CBCL at gordons@cbcl.ca.  A copy of the presentation that was given at these meetings can be viewed by following this link: www.halifax.ca/planhrm/index.html. Please note that a final copy of the studies will not be available until it has been presented to HRM Regional Council for acceptance in the fall.

In the meantime, we ought to be more cognizant about the harm that excessive phosphate and nitrite levels can have on our waterways and lakes. Sources such as the leaching of chemical fertilizers from lawns and gardens, leaching of animal and pet manure, run-off from roadways and driveways, improperly maintained or non-functional septic systems, decaying plant and animal material, and erosion of natural deposits and elements in the environment.

SWIMMING POOLS & FENCING
Residents with either an above-ground or in-ground swimming pool on their property are required to obtain a permit. To obtain such a permit, details of swimming pool location, fencing and security must be identified. The permit fee to install a pool is based on $5.50 per $1,000 of the estimated value of the project with a minimum $25 fee. Plus there is an additional $25 fee for a Development Permit. A swimming pool is defined in HRM By-law S-700: www.halifax.ca/legislation/Bylaws/HRM/bls700.pdf as an artificial body of water outside a building, excluding ponds, having more than 100 square feet of surface area that is designed or intended to be used for swimming purposes and contains or is capable of containing a water depth of more than 24 inches. This by-law applies to all swimming pools which have a diameter of 11 feet or more and are capable of containing water to a depth of 2 feet or more. All swimming pools shall be completely enclosed with a 5 foot high fence. That fencing shall be constructed in such a way that it does not facilitate climbing. Therefore having no openings between its rails greater than 4 inches. Security requires gates that are self-closing and self-latching. For more details: www.halifax.ca/planning/documents/Pools.pdf