Coalition wants N.B. government to put moratorium on new developments

The newly formed Save Wetlands Waters and Tourism (SWWAT) coalition wants the New Brunswick government to put a moratorium on new developments including new campgrounds until the government can address the issue of polluted waters at various New Brusnwick beaches.

READ MORE: New testing protocol to start at New Brunswick’s Parlee Beach this summer

Coalition member Arthur Melanson is looking for answers that he says the provincial government isn’t supplying.

“They (the province) came in, took some samples and we haven’t heard anything back from them,” Melanson said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They (the province) came in, took some samples and we haven't heard anything back from them," Melanson said.

Melanson said water samples were taken by the province from a lagoon just next to the Parlee Beach parking lot.  He said that sewage is overflowing at a lift station at Parlee and the excess runoff ends into a pond, before eventually draining through a creek into Shediac Bay. Melanson added results from samples take by Mount Allison professor Doug Campbell and a team of students seem to support that conclusion.

New water testing guidelines adopted this year by the province are a step in the right direction, but the coalition says more has to be done to protect wetlands from new developments.

“Our concerns at l’Aboiteau is the fact that if we have potential beach water quality issues at both Parlee and Murray, we’re gonna be next, and we’re looking down the barrrel of having a trailer park development of 273 trailers, we cannot sustain this development,” said SWWAT member Natasha Bell.

READ MORE: NB Opposition questions timing of minister recusing himself from Parlee Beach file

“We know one thing for sure is gonna happen this summer, you’re going to flush your toilet at Parlee Beach and you’re going to be swimming in it in a few days,” added Bell.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We know one thing for sure is gonna happen this summer, you're going to flush your toilet at Parlee Beach and you're going to be swimming in it in a few days," added Bell.

Global News reached out to Environment Minister Serge Rousselle to see if results of the water testing were available but none were provided.