ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY OF HALIFAX HARBOR, NOVA-SCOTIA

This paper demonstrates the importance of integrated studies of marine geology and geochemistry in the environmental management of an urbani zed coastal inlet, using Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, as an example. The harbour receives 170 million litres of raw sewage per day; other s ources of contamination include landfills, industrial activity, surfac e runoff and dredging. The level of contamination by metals in surfici al sediments in Halifax Harbour is among the highest anywhere recorded in marine harbours, and is a result of sediment trapping and lack of flushing. Geological and oceanographic conditions strongly influence t he present environmental quality of the harbour; assessment of environ mental quality and the design of waste-water management systems in urb an harbours, are fundamentally dependant on detailed knowledge of sedi ment transport, deposition and erosion.