City of Hamilton discovers 26-year sewage leak into Hamilton Harbor
The City of Hamilton said it discovered sewage was leaking into Hamilton Harbor since 1996 due to a hole in the industrial sector’s combined sewer line.
It is unknown how much sewage was spilled into the port.
But Hamilton Water director Nick Winters told reporters on Tuesday afternoon, “It’s going to be a big number,” adding that the city will release the numbers as soon as they are known.
Mr Winters said Hamilton Water staff, investigating another issue, discovered a hole on Tuesday at the northeast corner of Wentworth Street North and Burlington Street East.
Preliminary research by the staff, he said, led them to believe that consultants had punctured the combined sewer in 1996.
“The consultants involved in the work seem to have been under the impression that the sewers in the area were all storm drains and that they had designed a direct connection to the culvert leading to Hamilton Harbor.”
He said staff contacted the state’s spill action center around 12:20 p.m. Tuesday and reported the spill to the city’s spill reporting line.
The site also has vacuum trucks as a short-term method to temporarily stop the flow of sewage into the environment, Winters said.
City officials said Tuesday that drinking water for Hamilton residents was unaffected, but the spill would affect the port’s environment.
That’s because the city is in the process of cleaning up the 24 billion liters of sewage that spilled into Cheddok Creek over four years.
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City of Hamilton discovers 26-year sewage leak into Hamilton Harbor
Source link City of Hamilton discovers 26-year sewage leak into Hamilton Harbor