ATLANTIC

Province says work to replace failed N.S. aboiteau to begin next week

THE CANADIAN PRESS Published Friday, February 22, 2019 12:17PM AST

An aboiteau is an Acadian dike, designed to allow water to drain from the land, but prevents salt water from entering. In the fall of 2017, the aboiteau near Hantsport broke, causing salt water to pour into 40 acres of land and turning a piece of farmland into a pond.

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HANTSPORT, N.S. -- Nova Scotia says the $4-million project to replace the failed aboiteau in Hantsport is to begin next week.

The aboiteau, which failed about 15 months ago, provides protection from incoming sea water.

In a news release, Infrastructure Minister Lloyd Hines says his department realizes the urgency in replacing the dike, located at the mouth of the Halfway River.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal says the aboiteau and its wooden box culverts will be replaced by two permanent concrete box culverts and an earthen berm will be rebuilt on top of the culverts.

The flow of water is expected to be the same as it was before the aboiteau failed.

The project is expected to take five weeks, and the province says it hopes to recover the cost of the work from the Windsor and Hantsport Railway Company.

The province and the company are locked in a legal battle over who should foot the cost of the repairs.

"We recognized the urgency of the situation and acted on the concerns brought forward by the community," Hines said in a release Friday.

"By providing a permanent solution, we are ensuring the protection of agricultural lands and public infrastructure while also enabling appropriate fish passage."