Sandy Lake & Environs (Bedford, Nova Scotia)

Sandy Lake (Bedford NS) View towards northwest over “northern basin”. It looks pristine, but limnological observation conducted by volunteers 2017 to 2024 and ongoing indicate it’s in a highly precarious state now, before the shovels have hit the ground for a new development that could house up to 16000 people in an area of concentration of headwaters and many wetlands.  Stantec Consultants said they did not intend to ignore the observations in their Community Studies of the Sandy Lake SPA, but noted that their studies were “accepted”. Click on image for more aerial views.

By David Patriquin

The critical data have to do with very low deep water oxygen and evidence for “Internal Phosphorous Loading” in Sandy Lake. Recent monitoring and research reveal that such conditions now exist in more than a few lakes in HRM and elsewhere in NS.  Mitigation measures additional to those now being recommended for new developments – including in some cases, no new development – are required to protect the water quality of such lakes.

A related issue: Why did Stantec Consultants “ignore”  our observations? They offer no explanation. The most likely justification or pretext for excluding them that I can come up with, and which is suggested by the one reference to them in the Stantec Reports, is that they were conducted by volunteers who were seen as biased, and/or not scientifically competent. It’s an important issue because probably well more than 50% of all monitoring of surface waters in NS is conducted by volunteers.  Today we call such activity “Citizen Science”. Do we dismiss it a priori or consider criteria for assessing its credibility?

On May 16, 2025, the Nova Scotia Government/Dept. of Growth and Development announced (bolding inserted): “Community studies are complete for two areas identified by Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) for growth – the Sandy Lake special planning area in Bedford and the Highway 102 west corridor lands in Halifax” and that “the municipality will now undertake secondary planning for the two areas.” Continue reading →