Visitors come from all over the world to see Lunenburg.

“It’s gorgeous,” says tourist Jennifer Tolbert.“It’s one of the prettiest places I've ever been.”

Lunenburg is a UNESCO world heritage site, but it is harbouring a dirty secret that’s no longer quite-so-secret: the water isn't safe to touch.

“As gorgeous as it is, that’s scary and terribly frustrating it must be for the locals it's devastating,” said Tolbert.

The Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization founded in 1993. They were hired by Lunenburg town council to "design and implement a water quality monitoring program for Lunenburg Harbour," Shanna Fredericks, the assistant director of the Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation wrote in an e-mail.

It has learned that the water exceeds Health Canada's guidelines and any contact poses a risk to human health.

Janet Howard just moved back to Nova Scotia and is warning visitors not to touch the water.

"The kids just got here a couple days ago,” Howard said. “They flew in from Oakville Ont., and they’re trying to go out to the point. When the tide goes out, you can walk right out but then I'm like ‘no, don't touch the water.’ so it's sad, because it’s really hot so we just came back from town and now we're heading to the pool because they can't even get in in the water.”

Only one sign warns people not to enter the water, but it’s at a wharf not used by the public. Some have been concerned to see people swimming in water that can make them sick.

The home port of the famed Bluenose has some turning up their noses because of the stench of the polluting pipe from below the fisherman's wharf.

Capt. William Flower runs charters out of Lunenburg.

“The levels of contamination are way above all allowable limits and it's absolutely disgusting and it stinks it smells and it's not safe to work in,” he said.

Flower has been a staunch campaigner about what lies beneath and has been in a battle to relocate the sewage pipe, but council says more research needs to be done.

“We want it fixed it will be fixed, and I think it's a matter of understanding the scope of the problem and really what actions will make a difference,” said Lunenburg Mayor Rachel Bailey.

There's no timeline on when the reports will be filed and when they will start implementing plans to correct the problem and make the harbor safe once again.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Marie Adsett.