ATLANTIC

Nova Scotia First Nation opposes plan to dispose fracking waste in sewer system

The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, December 23, 2014 10:42AM AST

Darlene MacDonald hold a sign along a major Nova Scotia highway in opposition to the construction of a natural gas storage facility near Stewiacke, N.S. on Monday, September 29, 2014. The First Nation bands in nearby Millbrook and Indian Brook want the project stopped because they say there hasn't been enough consultation regarding the potential impact on the environment. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)

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INDIAN BROOK, N.S. - A First Nations community is appealing a Nova Scotia municipality's decision to approve the disposal of millions of litres of fracking wastewater in its sewer system.

Indian Brook band chief Rufus Copage says an appeal letter was sent to the chief administrative officer for the Municipality of Colchester County on Dec. 19.

Copage says his community strongly opposes transporting and disposing of fracking wastewater in the Debert sewer system and it wants county council to reverse its approval granted earlier this month.

Under the municipality's approval process members of the public have until Dec. 29 to submit an appeal.

For the past several years Atlantic Industrial Services has been storing millions of litres of flowback water from hydraulic fracturing operations in Kennetcook in its Debert holding ponds.

The company recently attempted to negotiate a deal with the town of Amherst to dispose water stored in Debert, along with another 20-million litres still remaining in holding ponds in Kennetcook, but that was turned down after objections from the public.