City of Hamilton seeking extension for Chedoke Creek dredging

The City of Hamilton says that it does not expect to meet the province’s deadline for the dredging of Chedoke Creek set for this Tuesday.

City officials are now asking for a one month extension from the province and say should the extension be granted, it will have no impact on the project’s budget.

The city’s Director of Watershed Management Cari Vanderperk said in a statement issued last Tuesday that it had become apparent to the project team that the in-water portion of the dredging would not be completed by the deadline, sparking the request for an extension.

Vanderperk says that scheduling was impacted by the “above average rainfall” in both July and August, along with the dredged material itself causing equipment challenges.

The targeted dredging is to restore the impacts of the 24 billion-litres of raw sewage leak that happened between January 2014 and July 2018.

READ MORE: City of Hamilton pleads guilty to charges over Chedoke Creek sewage spill

This $6 million initiative faced delays last summer when members of the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) interrupted the work site, citing the exercise of their treaty rights.

According to the city’s engineering team, approximately 11,000 cubic meters of sediment are expected to be removed during the cleanup process.

The dredging process officially began in July of this year.

The province had previously extended the deadline to this Tuesday after the initial delays.

Vanderperk says the project team has yet to hear back from the province on the status of their request.

READ MORE: Dredging at Chedoke Creek on track to finish before fall