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ARICHAT - Richmond County wants to be among the first Nova Scotia municipalities to participate in a study that seeks to determine if COVID-19 samples are present in municipal sewage-treatment systems. 

Launched by Halifax's Dalhousie University and the Fredericton firm LuminUltra this past spring, the study originally targeted wastewater samples from Dalhousie itself as well as the Wolfville campus of Acadia University. Since that time, it has expanded to include St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish and Cape Breton University in Sydney, as well as Stanfield International Airport just outside of Halifax. 

With more study areas within driving distance of Richmond County, Warden Amanda Mombourquette suggested that the timing was right for the municipality to approach Dalhousie and LuminUltra about taking part in the experiment, which has just recently expanded to include Nova Scotia municipal units of all sizes. 

"To see the news that this kind of research was landing so locally, at CBU and St. F.X., that was very exciting," the warden told reporters following the January 25 regular council meeting at the Richmond Municipal Building in Arichat.

"Staff has been doing a great job of providing us with information on where the project was, prior to the New Year. Now that the research has evolved and the project is expanding, I think it's a great opportunity for us to sort of put our hands up and say we're interested in participating."

While the warden noted that no formal discussion has taken place with Richmond County's municipal Public Works Department regarding this study, she expects those talks to begin in earnest shortly.