Bird droppings on 19 beaches cause trouble in Halifax

The city of Halifax, N.S., is closely monitoring bird droppings at 19 beaches in the regional municipality. The droppings can get into the water and cause E. coli contamination, sometimes prompting officials to close the sites.

There can be a lot of bird droppings on the beachadmitted by Elizabeth Montgomerya water resources specialist on the City’s environment and climate change team.

She mentions that the municipality is trying different measures on its supervised beaches to prevent waterfowl – including geese and ducks – from relieving themselves there.

Symptoms of E. coli bacteria

Elizabeth Montgomery recalled that some of the symptoms people may experience if they ingest water contaminated with E. coli bacteria include itching, irritated eyes, nausea, stomach pain, headache, fatigue and diarrhea.

She added that if the city closes the beaches, it will push people to use other locations where water quality is not monitored and there are no lifeguards.

With stricter water quality guidelines, and climate change creating more conditions for E. coli contamination, scaring off waterfowl is one way to try to keep beaches open, Ms. Montgomery.

Methods of deterrence

The city has installed flashing lights on beaches, as well as flying pieces of plastic to deter birds. Previous efforts included installing noisy devices, but those weren’t very effective.

One measure implemented is to build a living shoreline at the park Birch Cove from Lake Banook. This strip of land consisted of what Elizabeth Montgomery described as eroded grasswhich made it a setting that attracted ducks.

The living shoreline is a fence made of trees that protects the perimeter of the beach. Native species such as red osier dogwood and willow have been planted to promote biodiversity. This helps create a filter to reduce the risk of contamination from feces entering the water.

Effects of climate change

The specialist said climate change can lead to higher levels of E. coli in water. She reported that warmer temperatures make it easier for the bacteria to reproduce, while extreme rainfall is another reason.

We are increasingly faced with these kinds of rain events that risk carrying everything from the land to the water, making it a kind of perfect storm.

She said that after major flooding last summer, many beaches were closed due to E. coli bacteria.

Regardless of what the City does to target waterfowl on its beaches, the public can also take action.

Just the fact that people are there and using the beach is enough to deter the birds, because, you know, they like space, but they like it when it’s quiet.entrusts Elizabeth Montgomery.

According to the report of Richard Woodburyof CBC