Seeking a lasting solution to flooding from annual harbour blockage

SOUTH HARBOUR, N.S. – Following a motion passed by the Municipality of Victoria County to remove sand blocking the channel to South Harbour, local contractor Alex Dunphy is calling for a permanent solution to the recurring problem. 

The sand build-up causes water to overflow, often resulting in flooding of roads, homes, and boats.

Each year, South Harbour, located in Northern Cape Breton, experiences overflow as the channel connecting it becomes blocked by sand. To address the issue, the county hires a contractor to remove the obstruction using heavy machinery.

Dunphy, who has been managing the sand removal for over 35 years, said the problem predates his involvement.

“Way back, they say in the 1800s, it was way over the channel,” he said.

The sandbar, approximately seven miles long, stretches between two mountains, wrapping around the communities of North Harbour, Dingwall Harbour, Middle Harbour, and South Harbour.

“And South Harbour is where the issue is,” explained Dunphy.

“This old oceanographer told me, a long time ago, that all the sands are coming from the northside of that long beach. And then it travels far to the south side and it’s infilling all the time.”

Dunphy described the annual process of clearing the channel with his heavy machinery.

“To open it up, you have to let it build up really high so that you can get good pressure,” he said. “And so, it can do its own job, and it will flush out and take an awful lot of sand with it. And that makes a pretty good channel for about a year.”

However, the sand begins accumulating again each fall. By the time pressure has built enough to safely open the channel, it is often winter, leaving residents to face significant flooding.

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“Their basements are full of it, their wells are full of it, their septic systems, their driveways are full of it, their basements. It’s an awful go ahead,” Dunphy said.

He also noted the difficulty of securing accountability.

“And the big thing is nobody wants to take responsibility. DNR and the Department of Fisheries will say it’s not their responsibility. Even the Department of Public Works wouldn’t do it.”

During a council meeting on Jan. 26, Warden Jackie Organ emphasized the severity of the issue.

“It affects many homes, flooding their basements,” Warden Organ told councillors. She added that she is collaborating with staff, the local MLA, and Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources to pursue a permanent solution. The council approved hiring a contractor, at a maximum cost of $2,500, to open the channel.

Dunphy completed the work in early February. While permitted to perform the task, he described it as a challenging and potentially dangerous job.

“You work for pretty well a day, by the time you get your machine down there and get the job done. And you need a second machine, a backup machine, in case you get stuck. And you have to be very careful because you got a lot of water that is going to go out in a hurry,” he said.

“And if you are stuck out there you better have a backup machine to get you out of there as quick as possible.”

Over the decades, methods for clearing the channel have evolved. Dunphy recalled using dynamite more than 35 years ago, before regulations were stricter.

“We blew it right out of there and got it rid of the ice and the sand and the whole works,” he said. “And it worked good and lasted a year, but it fills in slowly all the time.”

Looking forward, Dunphy believes the best long-term solution is to create a channel on the north side to redirect the water.

“We have nice deep water inside the harbour and then on the Aspy Bay side, the ocean side, you have nice deep water there. And then you have a headland that is protecting us from Nor’easters,” he said.

“But the problem is there is a piece of land that the channel would have to go through, it’s privately owned and no one knows the owner.”

Dunphy concluded that, regardless of the approach, the problem is ongoing and requires attention. “It’s an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed.”