Nova Scotia’s rivers still suffer from acid rain. Restoring them could also help the climate [Video]

On the shore of a narrow river in Pictou County, research scientist and CarbonRun chief technical officer Eddie Halfyard inspects the interior of a silo that towers over the forest.

This river, like many others throughout the region, continues to suffer from the effects of acid rain.

“That has huge implications on fish health,” says Halfyard.

But starting this summer, the Halifax-based startup will be adding powdered limestone from this silo to the river  — part of a strategy that the founders of CarbonRun hope will help restore Nova Scotia’s salmon rivers while simultaneously removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 

“In many cases, it’s absolutely restorative,” says Halfyard. “We’re just replacing what was lost because of human pollution, and that allows rivers to do what they do best, which is to capture carbon and deliver it to the ocean.”

Acid rain a persistent problem in Nova Scotia

Acid rain, which is caused when pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide infiltrate precipitation, was largely mitigated by …