Heavy smoke near Smith’s Cove this morning prompted an alarm to Digby Fire Department, but it turned out to be a planned brush fire. A caller had been concerned a house was burning.
Despite the day-long rain, the smoke was still visible in late afternoon.
Firefighters responded to the alarm about 9:20 a.m., and found the fire was at the future site of a lagoon sewage project to upgrade Digby’s waste treatment system.
Deputy fire chief Justin Wood said the construction company, G.K. Morse & Sons, has an industrial burning permit from Natural Resources Canada.
Garth Crowft of Kentville is overseeing the project and said brush burning will likely continue for the rest of this week, stopping for the weekend and will start again on Monday or Tuesday if conditions are right for burning.
“When we first light the brush, that’s when you get a lot of smoke, so that’s what people are seeing. But after about half an hour it really dies down,” he said.
About an acre of land is being cleared of trees and brush to make room for the lagoon, which should be completed by fall.
The wastewater treatment lagoon will be 20 feet deep, 300 feet wide and 600 feet long.
“Hopefully this will fix the Smith’s Cove problem with the clams,” said Crowft.
Sewage overflows in Digby have resulted in frequent closures shellfish harvesting in nearby waters of the Annapolis Basin.
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