Hamilton politicians and government agencies yet again embarrass this city. Hamilton has yet to come up with its one-third share of the Randle Reef cleanup cost more than two years after the federal and provincial governments pledged a total of $60 million.
The environmental assessment is unfinished, the Hamilton Port Authority is refusing to manage the project and local officials are begging Public Works Canada to take over. All the while, a toxic stew of coal tar, metals and industrial chemicals on the floor of Hamilton Harbour continues to spread and disperse.
Randle Reef has been called a spill in slow motion. Now we have a cleanup in slow motion.
The plan is to build a steel wall around the most contaminated sediment beside U.S. Steel Canada's plant, then add material dredged from other areas and cap the structure to create two piers for the port authority.
When the McGuinty government announced its $30-million pledge 30 months ago this week, it said work could start in 2008. No one can now say when it will begin.
The cost has risen to $105 million from $90 million and it seems certain Hamilton has lost its chance to celebrate the harbour cleanup in 2015, when it welcomes thousands of visitors to the Pan Am Games.
Capping the contaminants was always a band-aid solution, but it's better than nothing. The proper way would to copy the one billion dollar cleanup of Scajaquada Creek in Buffalo. The only solution their was to dig out all soils to a depth of 20 feet and process the soil enough for transport to Hamilton, as a semi-solid, where it was washed and hazardous particulates separated and buried at Swan Hills Alberta.
The sight and smell of raw contamination is sickening so to cap it would mean that sometime in the future it would still need to be processed, so do it right in the first place. Raw cement and lime must be added to solidify it enough to cap and definitely not reclaimed soil alone and a steel wall.
This reef needs to be cleaned up ASAP; the cleanup should take priority over everything that this council has on the boil. Stelco didn't start the problem, nor are they the only problem, but, they should never have been allowed free reign to contaminate not only our air but also our lakes and lands.
Later,
Kenaz
Showing posts with label randle reef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label randle reef. Show all posts
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Friday, November 09, 2007
Prosperous day today in Hamilton
Feds come up with their share of the money
It's now official. Canada's Environent Minister has committed the federal government's 30 million dollar share, towards the 90 million dollar cleanup of Randle Reef. The province's 30 million is already in place with the rest coming from local sources. It clears the way for work to begin on the containment of coal tar and other polluted sediment at Hamilton Harbour's toxic hotspot. The eight-year project is likely to be completed in 2016. Sources of local funding have yet to be finalized, but Hamilton's Mayor remains confident that it will include contributions from Hamilton industries.
Plans to Revive the Core
Three major private projects promise to boost downtown Hamilton with lights, music and better parking came to light today.
The demolition of the old HMP dealership at the corner of Bay and Main streets is underway to make room for a new 15-storey Hilton Homewood Suites. Just blocks away, planning is in the works to tear down a burned out apartment building at the corner of Hess and King streets to build a concert theatre the size of Toronto's Massey Hall.
The concert theatre, based on the House of Blues venue in Dallas, will make the village an attraction year round and help with noise complaints by bringing music inside. Hopefully this will also bring more restaurants to the village, providing more choice for those who are not into the bar scene. The approximately $15-million project is set to start in the spring and take about 18 months to complete. A new parking structure already approved between Hess and Caroline will be perfectly placed to serve concert goers.
On the other side of downtown, the city's new development corporation has made its first offer on a parking lot behind the old Sandbar Tavern. The $15-million to $20-million proposal features multiple floors of parking combined with retail and residential units.
These projects will complement the new Hilton hotel, which saw it's first bulldozer action last week. The hotel will bring life back to a rotting core.
Later,
Kenaz
It's now official. Canada's Environent Minister has committed the federal government's 30 million dollar share, towards the 90 million dollar cleanup of Randle Reef. The province's 30 million is already in place with the rest coming from local sources. It clears the way for work to begin on the containment of coal tar and other polluted sediment at Hamilton Harbour's toxic hotspot. The eight-year project is likely to be completed in 2016. Sources of local funding have yet to be finalized, but Hamilton's Mayor remains confident that it will include contributions from Hamilton industries.
Plans to Revive the Core
Three major private projects promise to boost downtown Hamilton with lights, music and better parking came to light today.
The demolition of the old HMP dealership at the corner of Bay and Main streets is underway to make room for a new 15-storey Hilton Homewood Suites. Just blocks away, planning is in the works to tear down a burned out apartment building at the corner of Hess and King streets to build a concert theatre the size of Toronto's Massey Hall.
The concert theatre, based on the House of Blues venue in Dallas, will make the village an attraction year round and help with noise complaints by bringing music inside. Hopefully this will also bring more restaurants to the village, providing more choice for those who are not into the bar scene. The approximately $15-million project is set to start in the spring and take about 18 months to complete. A new parking structure already approved between Hess and Caroline will be perfectly placed to serve concert goers.
On the other side of downtown, the city's new development corporation has made its first offer on a parking lot behind the old Sandbar Tavern. The $15-million to $20-million proposal features multiple floors of parking combined with retail and residential units.
These projects will complement the new Hilton hotel, which saw it's first bulldozer action last week. The hotel will bring life back to a rotting core.
Later,
Kenaz
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Hamilton's uphill war on pollution
Hamilton will always have an uphill fight in an effort to win the war on environmental pollution. That's just the nature of the beast for a city heavy relied on industrial business. It still smarts though; when every time it looks like Hamilton is waging a strong front we get kicked back. Today's news is indicative how aggravating things can be.
Premier Dalton McGuinty Ontario government will finally pay their promised $30 million share toward the clean-up of Hamilton Harbour’s tainted Randle Reef. The harbour bottom is tainted with coal tar and heavy metal residue, largely as a result of decades of steel making.
All we need now is for the federal and municipal governments to cough up their one third $30 million dollar shares.
And now the bad news,
The toxic substance that contaminated Spencer Creek following the fire at Biederman Packaging in Dundas was confirmed as being Diainon. A highly poisonous chemical to birds, fish and wildlife and illegal for use in Canada, except for agricultural purpose.
The company owner trying to do damage control, came up with this gem, "The stuff we make here is all for home and garden use ... There was no serious escape of any nature." oops!
The technical director for Biedermann, covering his ass said the owner must have misspoken because the diazinon is used for agricultural customers. Adding that only a couple of skids where on sight.
The Environment Ministry has confirmed that run-off samples taken from within the building contained diazinon. On the day of the fire, a water reading taken at the Mill Street outfall to Spencer Creek found 720 micrograms of diazinon per litre. At the north building of the packaging plant, another reading showed 1,900 micrograms.
The lethal concentration to kill 50 per cent of rainbow trout in a given area is between 2,600 and 3,200 micrograms of diazinon per litre. (source The Hamilton Spectator)
So that means a quarter of trout in Spencer Creek are potentially dead, not to mention the many plants that the remaining fish feed on. This is not a small problem that can be swept under the proverbial rug, Spencer Creek is a vital link in the chain of this areas fragile ecosystem and any amount of contamination can destroy it forever.
Later,
Kenaz
Premier Dalton McGuinty Ontario government will finally pay their promised $30 million share toward the clean-up of Hamilton Harbour’s tainted Randle Reef. The harbour bottom is tainted with coal tar and heavy metal residue, largely as a result of decades of steel making.
All we need now is for the federal and municipal governments to cough up their one third $30 million dollar shares.
And now the bad news,
The toxic substance that contaminated Spencer Creek following the fire at Biederman Packaging in Dundas was confirmed as being Diainon. A highly poisonous chemical to birds, fish and wildlife and illegal for use in Canada, except for agricultural purpose.
The company owner trying to do damage control, came up with this gem, "The stuff we make here is all for home and garden use ... There was no serious escape of any nature." oops!
The technical director for Biedermann, covering his ass said the owner must have misspoken because the diazinon is used for agricultural customers. Adding that only a couple of skids where on sight.
The Environment Ministry has confirmed that run-off samples taken from within the building contained diazinon. On the day of the fire, a water reading taken at the Mill Street outfall to Spencer Creek found 720 micrograms of diazinon per litre. At the north building of the packaging plant, another reading showed 1,900 micrograms.
The lethal concentration to kill 50 per cent of rainbow trout in a given area is between 2,600 and 3,200 micrograms of diazinon per litre. (source The Hamilton Spectator)
So that means a quarter of trout in Spencer Creek are potentially dead, not to mention the many plants that the remaining fish feed on. This is not a small problem that can be swept under the proverbial rug, Spencer Creek is a vital link in the chain of this areas fragile ecosystem and any amount of contamination can destroy it forever.
Later,
Kenaz
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