Only half of Hamilton Harbour’s water comes from the local water shed.
The other half is effluent from local waste water treatment plants, according to Kristin O’Connor, who stood before Puslinch council late last month to speak on the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan and the Bay Area Restoration Council.
O’Connor explained similar presentations are being made to all stakeholder’s connected with Hamilton’s watershed which includes a small portion of Puslinch Township.
The harbour remedial action plan roots go back to 1985.
“By the time we complete all the actions, it will be 2020,” O’Connor said.
In 1987, as part of the Great Lakes Quality Assurance Program between Canada and the United States, 43 areas of concern – pollution hot spots – were identified.
“It is not surprising that Hamilton Harbour was one of the largest and most complex of these areas of concern,” said O’Connor.
While remedial actions are project based, the decision on whether Hamilton can be removed from the list is based on a number of pre-determined outcomes such as if residents use the water to swim and fish, and are the fish and birds healthy.
O’Connor said bald eagles have returned and 28% of the shoreline is now accessible by recreational trails.
She stated “In terms of water quality, we are about halfway to our goal.” She noted fish and wildlife outcomes are close to completion with the exception of the Cootes Paradise Marsh.
“We are truly in a race to the finish for the in-harbour projects.” She said one of the biggest pushes is to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the harbour, because it is a key factor in algae growth which diminishes the water quality.
O’Connor said people are often surprised at the statistic “but 50% of the water flow to the harbour is from our three waste water treatment plants, the other 50% comes from the watersheds.”
Puslinch, however, is located at the top of the headwaters. She commented that as work on the waste water treatment plants are being addressed, the focus is now on the remaining watershed areas.
“If Fletcher Creek was the only source of water to the harbour … we’d be out of a job.”
She said that rural efforts to reduce phosphorus runoff may not be as complex to engineer, “they will still be needed to achieve our goal.” In particular, there needs to be a review of rural land uses and agricultural practices.
Councillor Wayne Stokley said the group’s efforts have improved the harbour over the years.
“When I think back to when I first moved to Puslinch and went through Hamilton … it has improved immensely,” Stokley said. He added he has participated in a “‘round the bay run” and actually swam at Burlington Beach. “I never thought I’d be able to do that.”
Councillor Susan Fielding said she was happy to be the Puslinch representative for the group. “It has been amazing, the good work which has been done,” said Fielding, who grew up in Dundas .
“Now we walk along the trails and it is amazing how it has come along … and there are plans to make it even nicer.”
Mayor Dennis Lever, commenting on the fact 50% of the water is coming from the waste water treatment facilities, said, “I am struggling to see how that much water can be processed by the treatment plants.”
