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.