The Shubenacadie River () is a river in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Canada. It has a meander length of approximately 72 km from its source at Shubenacadie Grand Lake to its mouth at the community of Maitland on the Cobequid Bay. The lower 30 km of the river (from the point where the Stewiacke River meets to the mouth) is tidal and the river experiences a

tidal bore A tidal bore, often simply given as bore in context, is a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave (or waves) of water that travels up a river or narrow bay, reversing the direction of the river or bay's cu ...

twice daily, with some bores reaching up to 3 m in height at certain points along the river. Local tourism operators offer adventure seekers a chance to ride with the bore on high-horse power Zodiac Hurricanes. Tidal Bore Rafting was invented at the Tidal Bore Rafting Resort by H. Knoll. It is also a popular surfing spot for experienced sea kayakers. Bridge SouthMaitland

The river flows through part of northern Halifax County, forming the boundary with Hants County before forming the boundary between Hants and Colchester County. The Shubenacadie Valley hosts a diversified agricultural economy and is also experiencing suburban sprawl, given its location in the Halifax-

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

transportation corridor. The river is also extremely popular among anglers who mainly target

striped bass The striped bass (''Morone saxatilis''), also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has ...

. Bald eagles roost in the trees along the river's banks and can be seen from the river throughout the year.

Alton Gas project

In January 2016, the

Government of Nova Scotia The Government of Nova Scotia (, ) is the government of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The powers and structure of the province are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term ...

announced industrial approvals for

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

storage caverns to be constructed by Alton Natural Gas in

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

deposits near the banks of the Shubenacadie River. The project intended to flush

brine Brine (or briny water) is a high-concentration solution of salt (typically sodium chloride or calcium chloride) in water. In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawat ...

into the river twice per day. Documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act from the company dating back to 2014 showed plans to produce brine with salinity levels 6 times greater than is considered safe for the area's fish. The project was met with intense opposition by the Sipekne'katik First Nation and environmentalists due to concerns surrounding the river's fish being affected by the planned brine flushing. The First Nation sought an appeal of the project's approval via the

Nova Scotia Supreme Court The Nova Scotia Supreme Court is a superior court in the province of Nova Scotia. The Supreme Court consists of 25 judicial seats including the position of Chief Justice and Associate Chief Justice. At any given time there may be one or more addi ...

, citing lack of consultation with the band, going against their

Aboriginal title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the Indigenous land rights, land rights of indigenous peoples to customary land, customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty to that land by another Colonization, colonising state. ...

claims to the land. In 2022, a plan was announced by the company for the decommissioning of the project by the end of the same year. The company cited mixed support for the project and delays as the reason for ceasing its operations at the site.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Nova Scotia Landforms of Colchester County Landforms of Halifax, Nova Scotia Landforms of Hants County, Nova Scotia Landforms of Halifax County, Nova Scotia

Alton Gas project

See also

References