Recognizing the present state of water and sediment quality within Halifax Harbour and the growing threat posed by the practice of pumping untreated sewage into the harbour, Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is taking action to provide advanced primary level treatment for the untreated municipal sewer discharges to the harbour. As part of their initiative, HRM proposes to construct several advanced primary level treatment plants, the first of which is to be located on Upper Water Street at Cornwallis on the Halifax waterfront.

The historical significance and archaeological sensitivity of the property was identified in 1999 as a result of an archaeological screening study undertaken for HRM by Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Group. The study reviewed historic land use within the proposed development property and identified areas of archaeological potential. The historical review provided a wealth of documentary evidence indicating the property had been intensively occupied since the founding of British Halifax in 1749. Furthermore, it was recognized that the site could also have been occupied by the Mi’kmaq in Pre-Contact times. Despite the cycle of demolition and redevelopment which extended into the latter half of the twentieth century, archaeological potential was identified within the property requiring further investigation. To address the recommendations contained in the screening report, HRM retained CRM Group in July, 2002 to undertake an archaeological impact assessment. The assessment, designed to test areas of archaeological potential identified in the 1999 screening report, yielded a wealth of structural remains and artifacts which reflected late eighteenth to late twentieth century life within the property.