Hamilton Harbour: what's good, what's not so good

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Posted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator
This was printed back in 2002, but it is the first time I saw this article and thought it was worth posting.
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(Nov. 23, 2002) -- 1. WATER FLOW: In the winter there is random flow of water in and out of the harbour through the canal, largely depending on the wind direction. In the summer, there is a cross flow with water going in and out of the harbour simultaneously. Cooler lake water flows into the harbour though the bottom of the canal while warmer harbour water flows out on top. The inflow of lake water carries vital oxygen to the harbour and is considered the one thing that keeps the harbour's cooler bottom layer from becoming completely anoxic, or oxygenless, during the summer.

2. BURLINGTON CANAL: Once a narrow and shallow channel, the canal first opened to larger vessels in 1826, clearing the way for development of Hamilton's harbour as a major shipping port. Over the years it's been dredged and widened, and five bridges have been built to provide access over the water for cars, trains and people. The current lift bridge opened in 1962, and in its lifespan has allowed 250,000 vessels through. Each year, the bridge lifts an average 4,000 times for 6,500 vessels, including more than 1,000 ships that are carrying cargo. It lifts on demand for commercial vessels, and on the hour and half hour for pleasure boaters.

3. SUSPENDED SOLIDS: Suspended solids flow into the harbour from two major sources: Red Hill and Spencer creeks and also from storm sewer outlets. The runoff carries with it various chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizer from suburban and agricultural uses as well as bacterial contaminants. The continued flow of sediments out of Spencer Creek is a major impediment to the recovery of Cootes Paradise. The settling of the sediments just beyond the High Level bridge appears to be creating a shallower area around Carroll's Point that over time is becoming a shallow delta.

In the east, the flow of sediments flushing out of Red Hill Creek can be severe. RAP (Remedial Action Plan, the co-ordinated effort to restore the harbour) has aerial photographs from after a major storm several years ago where a dark plume of suspended solids is clearly visible, flowing out from the creek and Windermere Basin heading into the bay and out the ship canal to Lake Ontario.

4. SEWAGE: Hamilton Harbour is the end of the line for four sewage treatment plants, three operated by the City of Hamilton and one by the Regional Municipality of Halton. Between them, the Woodward Avenue (shown on map), Dundas, Waterdown and Skyway (Burlington, not shown on map) plants release more than 400 million litres of treated sewage into the harbour on an average day.

Pollutants of concern from sewage treatment plants include phosphorus, which is largely removed, and ammonia. Both are potent plant nutrients that spur growth of algae which increases the murkiness of the water, and uses up oxygen, critical for fish. The Skyway plant meets the initial RAP targets for 2003, while Dundas and Waterdown plants sometimes do. Hamilton officials hope the Woodward Avenue plant will meet the initial targets by 2005.

Untreated sewage adds to the burden carried by the harbour. It comes mostly from bypasses on Hamilton's combined sewer system. During heavy rains untreated sewage is diverted into the harbour to avoid overloading the Woodward Avenue plant.

5. ORIGINAL OUTFLOW: The ship canal is a man-made entrance to the harbour. The original shallow opening between the bay and lake was further north, toward Burlington and Joseph Brant Hospital.

6. THE BIRDS: There are breeding colonies of six fish-eating waterbird species in the harbour -- ring-billed and herring gulls, rare Caspian and common terns, rare black-crowned night herons and double-crested cormorants. More than 1,700 cormorant nesting pairs were counted this year, up from 51 in 1987, so many the Canadian Wildlife Service may have to reduce their numbers. It already tries to control Canada geese by oiling their eggs. Cormorant droppings have killed all the trees on Hickory Island in Cootes Paradise and are now killing trees on Carroll's Point in the west harbour.

Three islands built in the northeastern corner of the bay are designed to replace nesting space lost to development at the Hamilton Port Authority's Eastport, as well as to create habitat for fish and reptiles.

7. CENTRE STATION: The most important scientific spot in the harbour, it is the place from which much of the knowledge of water quality comes. It is a point in the middle of the harbour roughly halfway between LaSalle Park and Stelco that scientists have been visiting for decades. It is the place where the water is considered to represent the average of what is happening in the different corners of the bay. It is used to measure turbidity, levels of phosphorus, ammonia nitrate and many other things.

8. SHORELINE: Trees and shrubs shade the edges of natural water bodies, and their shores slope away gradually into forests of underwater plants, creating spawning places, nurseries and shelter for fish. Such habitat was rare in Hamilton Harbour in the 1980s, having been replaced by docks and anti-erosion measures such as the row of steel barrels that still lines a long stretch of the Aldershot shore. To make the bay more hospitable for fish, gradual slopes, shoals and small islands have been created along Hamilton's Waterfront Trail and off LaSalle Park in Burlington. Bigger islands in the northeastern corner also provide waterbird nesting space. Logs, stones and tangled tree roots have been used to create underwater shelter and hiding spaces for fish.

9. BOTTOM SCARS: The curved lines across the harbour are anchor scars that show up in sonar scans of the harbour bottom. The scars suggest that sediments are still being stirred up by shipping, perhaps recirculating contaminants.

The straight lines near the ship canal are scars from dredging activity that also show up in the sonar scans.

Continued.....

 

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10. RANDLE REEF: It's only the size of three football fields, but Randle Reef has gained notoriety as one of the most heavily polluted spots in the Great Lakes. The hot spot is shaped like a fishtail and lies under five to eight metres of water. Over many decades, a nasty mix of pollutants have settled on the reef, just off the western edge of Stelco's Hilton Works dock.

The main ingredients in the toxic stew are coal tar and other cancer-causing chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). It's an oily, sticky ooze that has penetrated the bottom like marbled cheese. There are no living creatures around the reef. With PAH concentrations of more than 800 parts per million, the area is well beyond the threshold that is considered toxic to aquatic life. This spring, a coalition of groups agreed on a proposal to build a containment structure around the reef and cover over the toxic sediment. The containment area would be surrounded by a rock berm and completely filled in to the level of the surrounding land.

11. PIPES: Green pipes are municipal outflows while the grey ones are inputs from industry. The direct industrial outputs are all regulated by the Ontario Ministry of Environment and in most instances meet the required standards. For the sewage outfalls, Hamilton has plans to build holding tanks for many of the direct sewer outfalls to reduce the untreated flows from them.

12. PIER 8: Pier 8, at the foot of Catharine Street North, was one of the key pieces of real estate at the centre of the long dispute between the Hamilton Harbour Commissioners and the city over the harbour's future.

The pier marked the unofficial boundary line between the recreational portion of the harbour to the west and commercial activities to the east. The two sides eventually settled on a compromise. The eastern portion of Pier 8 will continue to be used for cargo handling over the next 25 years while the western half is intended to be the home of a Parks Canada marine discovery centre.

13. LAX PROPERTY: In 1959, brothers Sam and Sheridan Lax bought 39 acres of harbour water lots from the Hamilton Harbour Commission for $60,000. Their plan was to start a scrap metal business on reclaimed land.

In 1968, the brothers began filling in their water lots with dirt and rock carved out of the Mountain during construction of the Claremont Access. In 1969, they obtained an option for another 44 acres of water lots and seven acres of land for $152,000. They were set to own 91 acres of prime harbour land for $212,000.

They now proposed to build the Bal Harbor project -- highrise apartments, townhouses, hotel and commercial facilities on a series of interconnected islands. Bal Harbor would be home to 15,000 people.

The plan crashed in 1972. Harbour commissioners tried to reacquire the property with an eye to creating an industrial park. The commissioners were prepared to pay $3 million for the same land they had sold to the Lax brothers in two separate deals for $212,000. That fell apart when the federal, provincial and municipal governments refused to share the cost.

There were lawsuits and an out-of-court settlement in 1981. The city expropriated the land in 1983, only to find it was contaminated. The cleanup cost taxpayers $9 million.

The Lax property was where citizens drew their line in the sand over the desecration of the harbour. Local opposition sprang up to the dumping, and later the plans to put industry there.

Because of this fight, that land is now Bayfront Park. The fight over the Lax property laid the foundation for the broader movement to reclaim Hamilton Harbour.

14. INFILLING: The irregular line across the top of the map shows the original shoreline before settlement. About one-quarter of the bay has been filled in.

15. COOTES PARADISE * Carp: Originally from temperate areas of Asia, they first appeared in North America in the 1800s. Once considered a food fish, they were unintentionally released and have become abundant in the Great Lakes. Carp are prolific and grow from 2.2 to 11 kilograms or more. They're the party animals of the fish food chain, disliked because of their feeding and spawning habits.

Before the fishway carp barrier was built at the entrance to Cootes Paradise from the harbour, they would travel into the marsh to spawn every spring, where they thrash around by the thousands on marsh plants, damaging sensitive vegetation, forcing other fish and wildlife to leave the marsh.

* The Fishway: Cootes Paradise is a crucial spawning ground and nursery for baby fish, producing more than 10 million young fish a year for the harbour and western end of Lake Ontario. The fishway is like a fish strainer, built to keep adult carp out of the marsh. It keeps carp at bay in the spring as they're trying to get into the marsh to spawn.

Other large fish species are welcomed inside the shallow waters of Cootes Paradise.

Twice a day during spring spawning season and three times a week into the fall, Royal Botanical Gardens staff are at the fishway, sorting fish.

Beside the underwater metal grates are baskets that catch fish trying to travel into or leave the marsh. These baskets are lifted and the bottom chamber is emptied into a holding tank. From there fish travel one of two ways down chutes into the harbour or marsh. Carp are dropped harbour-side.

In its first full year of operation in 1997, 25,379 fish were caught and sent on their way -- 14,619 of those were carp trying to get into Cootes to spawn.

* Wildlife: Cootes Paradise is a haven for nesting and migrating birds. The marsh's once-abundant vegetation provided food and shelter, and harboured bird prey such as insects and fish. Since restoration efforts began, particularly the removal of carp through the fishway, a number of bird species have returned. Over the same period, more than 50 species were spotted nesting in the marsh, including five types seen as an indicator of the marsh's good health -- common moorhen, least bittern, marsh wren, sora and Virginia rail.

Amphibians have also shown signs of recovery. Since 1994, the amphibian population has grown -- seven kinds of frogs and toads and two kinds of salamanders have been spotted.

16. PLANTS: Back when settlers first set eyes on the area, Cootes Paradise was nearly covered in vegetation. By the 1930s, vegetation had decreased to 85 per cent cover. By the 1980s, that had dropped to 15 per cent.

Wetlands such as Cootes Paradise are important bird migrating stops, breeding grounds and places to live for many fish and wildlife. Many disappeared along with the vegetation because they depended on plants for food and shelter. A healthy marsh's vegetation also acts as a filter of sediments and nutrients, helping improve water quality.

There are three types of marsh plants. Emergent ones rise above the water's surface, like the tall stands of cattails growing along the shore. Floating-leaf ones have leaves and flowers that float on the surface, such as water lilies. Submergent ones are underwater. The Royal Botanical Gardens has done a number of things to help speed plant recovery. Staff and volunteers plant seedlings grown in their aquatic plant nursery. Some have been planted in exclosures, which act as fences to protect the plants and keep carp out.

The RBG tries to control the growth of exotic plants that, like carp, aren't originally from this area. Invasive plants, such as purple loosestrife, displace local plants and decrease the variety of vegetation.

17. FISH FENCE: More than 100,000 Christmas trees have been recycled here since 1999. Once their indoor life is over, they are compacted and piled up underwater like a fence to keep carp out of this marsh.

 

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Harbour once a heavenly haven

November 25, 2002
Eric McGuinness
The Hamilton Spectator

More stories...

(Nov. 25, 2002) -- Look across the wind-rippled bay from the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington and you see piles of coal and clouds of steam rising from Stelco's Hilton Works.

It's hard to imagine what it looked like before European settlers began filling in wetlands and creek mouths along the south shore, before steel and concrete walls replaced the tree-shaded, sloping north shore and before sewage and industrial waste began fouling the water.

Victor Cairns, who works for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, gazed out the window of a fourth-floor meeting room recently and said, "It must have been a magnificent place with beaches, wetlands, embayments and tributaries spilling over the escarpment."

Elizabeth Simcoe didn't have to imagine. The wife of John Graves Simcoe, first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, saw Burlington Bay and the Cootes Paradise marsh when they were wild places, and described them in her diary.

She told of travelling by canoe and on horseback from Niagara-on-the-Lake, where the legislature met, to the King's Head Inn at the south end of the Beach Strip, where Hamilton's water pumping station now stands.

On a pleasant day in June 1796, the couple was ferried by canoe to what is now Dundurn Park, then the home of Indian trader Richard Beasley. There they dined on a large salmon from the bay and a turtle caught in the Cootes marsh.

Elizabeth wrote that the unspoiled Beach Strip looked "like a park covered with large, spreading oaks," and the bay was full of canoes paddled by Indians catching the plentiful salmon.

The Simcoes wouldn't recognize Hamilton Harbour today and might have to settle for a meal of carp or channel catfish, taking care to avoid the biggest ones, contaminated by toxic chemicals stored in sediments on the bay bottom.

Mrs. Simcoe and her children would also be wise to heed the Guide To Eating Ontario Sport Fish which warns women of childbearing age and children under 15 not to eat even the smallest harbour fish more than four times a month.

Discouraging as that may be, the harbour is much cleaner and healthier than it was through much of the 20th century when it became one of the most polluted areas in the Great Lakes basin.

Population growth began to take its toll early at the western end of Lake Ontario. Rock shoals along the north shore were hauled up for building material, denying once-abundant lake trout a place to spawn. Atlantic salmon and lake sturgeon that spawned in Spencer Creek were driven out by waste from Dundas factories in the mid-1800s.

Northern pike succumbed to overfishing, marshland loss and poor water quality. The millions of herring that migrated to the harbour to spawn were overfished after lake trout disappeared, and whitefish declined as pollution killed off the tiny aquatic creatures on which they fed.

Here and elsewhere on the Great Lakes there has been a massive shift from high-valued, long-lived, cold-water species to low-valued, small, short-lived, warm-water species such as white bass and yellow perch along with exotics such as carp and smelt.

The decline of the fishery parallels the decline in water quality.

In 1885, a Hamilton Spectator story on Landsdowne Park, at the foot of Wentworth Street, told of large birch trees spreading shade over fresh, green turf and said, "There is splendid fishing to be had from the shore ..."

In 1888, a city collector sewer began emptying into the harbour.

In 1926, The Spectator reported: "Dr. Roberts, medical officer of health, told the board of control that Landsdowne Park Beach 'is not fit for animals to bathe in.' Controller Jutten objected to singling it out as water is just as foul elsewhere."

Fisheries and Oceans Canada began looking at Hamilton Harbour after the International Joint Commission (IJC) listed it as one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern, commonly labelled pollution hot spots.

Studies began in earnest in 1986 when the IJC called on Canada and the U.S. to develop Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) for the Areas of Concern.

Pre-1990 surveys showed too much algae -- fed by nutrients in treated sewage -- and too much bacteria, also from sewage.

Results suggested a short-term potential for improving the warm-water fishery in parts of the harbour and a long-term possibility of at least making the bay more hospitable for cold-water species.

Treated sewage and untreated overflows were filling the harbour with bacteria, phosphorus and ammonia. The latter two substances feed algae which cloud the water, then decay, in the process using up oxygen needed by fish.

Water made cloudy or turbid by algae particles, eroded soil and stirred-up sediment blocks sunlight needed to grow underwater vegetation which shelters fish and provides places for them to spawn. There were also too few gradually sloping shores and other shallows.

Better sewage treatment has brought the phosphorus level down close to the initial RAP goal, and water clarity sometimes meets the initial goal. Clarity is measured by lowering a white disc into the water and measuring the maximum depth at which it can be seen. The initial goal is two metres.

Major moves have been made on the habitat side, starting with historically important areas that hadn't been filled in or otherwise eliminated.

As Cairns points out, most fish depend on marshes at some stage in their lives -- as spawning grounds, nurseries or food sources, so Cootes Paradise is the key to a harbour fishery and an important element in the Great Lakes ecosystem.

It is the largest remaining marsh along western Lake Ontario, the second most important waterfowl staging area on Lake Ontario and the third most important on the lower lakes.

emcguinness@thespec.com or 905-526-4650