October 6, 2008
The delisting of Hamilton Harbour from the International Joint Commission (IJC) list of Great Lakes hot spots remains the single largest environmental project in the port’s portfolio.
The final design is complete, with the focus moving to a planned public open house in November to share the updated plans in preparation for submission to the federal government in the first half of 2009.
The project team is confident that the plan appropriately addresses how to remediate the largest PAH (coal tar) deposit on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes.
The Randle Reef sediment project, taking place at Pier 15, will consist of an engineered containment facility (ECF) designed for a 200-year lifespan, to be constructed with double steel walls ensuring contamination does not migrate into the environment. As well, some dredging will take place outside the facility to be placed in the ECF. Once capped, five hectares will become a Hamilton Port Authority pier, and 2.5 hectares will be greenspace.
Last year, both the federal and provincial governments committed $30 million each towards the $90 million total needed for the project. The Hamilton Port Authority is taking the lead in raising the remaining $30 million locally in partnership with the City of Hamilton.
With federal approval, construction would be projected to begin in late 2009, which is on track to meet the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan (RAP) target of completing the major cleanup activities by 2015.
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