City of Hamilton Calls for Sewage Leak Investigation

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath is calling for an investigation after city officials uncovered a pipe that had been unnoticed for 26 years, dumping sewage into the local harbor.

Horwath says he asked the city’s auditors to be brought in after a preliminary inspection of a pipe leak discovered Tuesday morning suggested a contractor had leaked it in 1996.

The combined sewers serve about 50 facilities, which drain directly into Hamilton Harbor, according to the city.

City officials were conducting separate maintenance operations on Tuesday when they found holes in pipes near Burlington and Wentworth streets north.

In a statement, the city believes contractors drilled the holes under the impression that “all the pipes were storm sewers” designed to connect to the culvert that drains into the harbor.

Horwath said he believes the risk to human health is “very low” but expressed concern about the environmental impact of the spill. It says it will publicly report whether it has been dumped.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published on November 23, 2022.