City of Hamilton formally charged in connection to 2 sewage spills

The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks has charged the City of Hamilton in connection to two sewage spills.

These charges follow over a year after the City of Hamilton’s Office of the Auditor General (OAG) released a report investigating two spills which dumped millions of litres of sewage into Hamilton Habror.

The two sewage spills the city is being charged for

The two spills are the Burlington Street and Wentworth Avenue North area spill that happened on Nov. 22, 2022, and the Rutherford Avenue at Myrtle Avenue area spill that happened Jan. 9, 2023.

The city says it proactively informed the community about both spills when they were initially discovered.

On Nov. 22, 2022 Hamilton Water maintenance staff discovered a hole in a combined sewer pipe in the area of Burlington Street and Wentworth Avenue North.

City staff learned that the hole led to a sewage spill into a large storm sewer, discharging into Hamilton Harbour.

The leak was quickly repaired and realigned, with work finishing the next day.

Hamilton Water staff implemented a pilot “risk-based inspection program” following the November spill, which targeted other areas of the sewer systems where similar sewer cross connections could have been present.

The city says as a result of the pilot program, staff discovered the Rutherford Avenue spill months later.

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The Rutherford Avenue spill dumped over an estimated 59 million litres of sanitary sewage into Hamilton Harbour over a duration of 26 years.

Hamilton City Council voted to turn the pilot program into the permanent “Enhanced Sewer Inspection Program” in Nov. 2023.

The program’s primary goal was to eliminate dry weather discharges into the environment, protect waterways and to promote public health.

The OAG reported in 2023 that Hamilton Water’s response to the spills and investigation into the origin of the cause was appropriate, thorough, and in accordance with the industry’s best practice.

The city released a statement following the charges saying that as the matter is before the courts, they will not be providing further comment at this time to respect the process.

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