Cleaning our waterways for the future: Burlington part of Randle Reef cleanup
Hamilton Harbour, also known as Burlington Bay, is the largest naturally protected harbour on western Lake Ontario. Industry, commerce and residential areas, along with private and public open spaces, share the 45-kilometre shoreline.
In 1985, the harbour was identified as an Area of Concern under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement due to significant impairment of water quality. Many improvements have been made to the harbour to reduce polution, but the problem of contaminated sediment remains.
Located in the southwest corner of the harbour, Randle Reef is about 60 hectares (120 football fields) in size. Sediment at the site is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other chemicals, and is described as a "spill in slow motion."
The City of Burlington is working with our federal and provincial partners, the City of Hamilton, Halton Region, the Hamilton Port Authority and U.S. Steel Canada to clean up Randle Reef. Read more at www.randlereef.ca.
The estimated cost of the Randle Reef sediment remediation is $138.9 million.
For information and project udpates, visit www.randlereef.ca.