A permanent recirculation line is now running at Antigonish’s sewage treatment plant, a move the town says should help keep nuisance smells from drifting into nearby neighbourhoods. The new system came online July 17, 2026, and replaces a temporary setup that could only run for four days a day [sic] and needed constant attention from staff.
The recirculation line keeps oxygen-rich water moving to the front of the treatment lagoon, where helpful bacteria break down waste as part of the natural cleansing process. “This new installation will ensure consistent/continuous delivery of oxygenated water to the section of the lagoon that needs it most, so that the good bacteria can break down waste as part of the natural treatment process,” the Town of Antigonish said in a public update.
The fix is part of a bigger push to quiet complaints that have dogged the community since at least 2021, when a rotten-egg smell started wafting from the more than 50-year-old plant. The odour grew so fierce during summer 2024 that it blanketed the downtown, and business owners say it scared off tourists. Donovan Purcell, co-owner of The Curious Cat bookstore, told reporters at the time that foot traffic dropped sharply, costing his shop thousands of dollars.
Scientific reports point to warmer lagoon temperatures, sludge buildup, and heavier waste loads as the main culprits. The town’s own data show average temperatures in the lagoon are now 6-7 degrees C higher than they were 20 years ago, cutting the water’s ability to hold oxygen by 15 to 20 percent. In January 2025, crews scooped out roughly 300 bone-dry tonnes of sludge from one cell of the lagoon, equal to about 36 tractor-trailer loads.
The permanent recirculation line is the first of several projects already underway. In mid-July 2026, council also awarded a $6.28-million contract to Avondale Construction for screening and aeration upgrades at the front end of the plant. That work is expected to begin in late summer or fall 2026 and take about a year. The total $5.4-million upgrade package is being paid for by the Province of Nova Scotia ($2.71 million), the Town of Antigonish ($1.8 million), and the Municipality of the County of Antigonish ($903,507).
Mayor Sean Cameron has cautioned that a working lagoon always carries a musky scent, but the goal is to stop offensive odour from leaving the property. The new recirculation line, he says, is a practical step toward that promise, delivering oxygenated water around the clock so the natural clean-up crew of bacteria can do its job without interruption.
