The Sackville River is a river in Hants County and Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It empties into Bedford Basin. The Little Sackville River is a tributary.

Sackville River
Sackville River as seen from Highway 101 near Upper Sackville, Nova Scotia
Sackville River is located in Nova Scotia
Sackville River
Location of mouth
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceNova Scotia
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationnear Pentz Lake, East Hants
Mouth 
 • location
Bedford Basin
 • elevation
sea level
Length40 km (25 mi)
Basin size996 km2 (385 sq mi)[1]

2023 flood

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On July 21, 2023, a record 250+ millimetres of rain fell on the communities of Bedford and Lower Sackville in a period of seven hours, which is the three-month average in precipitation for Halifax, leading to the Sackville River to overflow like never before. Water levels eventually became so high that eventually vehicles were stalling and completely submerging on the nearby Highway 102 at the intersection for Highway 101, one of the busiest intersections in Nova Scotia, leading to the closure of both highways at Lower Sackville.

The flood led to the evacuation of Bedford Place Mall and over 300 people in residences of the Union Street neighbourhood in Bedford. Despite initial reports of there being 4.5 feet of water inside of the mall, Bedford Place denied this rumour and confirmed max water levels on the interior of the mall reached six inches, but the mall was still closed as of 8 pm July 22 as the river was still consuming the parking lot. Halifax Search & Rescue was required to rescue mall employees on the night of the storm who were stuck in the floodwaters. Fish Hatchery Park, located at the mouth of the river in the Bedford Basin, was closed due to erosion destabilizing the entire ground of the park.

Tributaries

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Lakes

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Communities

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44°43′59″N 63°39′57″W / 44.73306°N 63.66583°W / 44.73306; -63.66583

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Natural History of Nova Scotia Archived 2003-06-07 at the Wayback Machine, Volume 1, p. 152
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