City of Hamilton fined $600,000 over 26-year sewage leak

Hamilton city hall is seen in this file photo. (CTV News Toronto)

The City of Hamilton has been fined $600,000 in connection with a sewage leak that went undetected for nearly three decades.

A provincial court issued the fine and a mandatory 25 per cent victim surcharge. In addition, the city has also been ordered to pay $80,000 to the Bay Area Restoration Council to improve the water quality in Hamilton Harbour and its watershed.

The 26-year leak dumped as much as 337 million litres of waste into the harbour.

In a statement on Friday, the city acknowledged the court’s decision, saying it regrets the impact the leak had on the community.

“We take this matter seriously and have taken immediate steps to remediate the situation and strengthen safeguards to help prevent similar incidents in the future, and remain committed to improving our wastewater and stormwater systems,” the city said.

The leak, which is believed to have started in 1996, was discovered just after 12 p.m. on Nov. 22, 2022, at the northeast corner of Wentworth Street North and Burlington Street East.

The city had said the cause was a hole in a combined sewage pipe. It was estimated that about 50 or so residences had been flushing directly into a storm sewer leading into the harbour.

Months later, in Jan. 2023, crews discovered another leak in the area of Rutherford and Myrtle Avenues.

The city had said a newly constructed storm sewer in 1996 was connected to a 100-year-old combined sewer pipe and as a result, 11 properties had been flushing sanitary wastewater into the harbour.

In Friday’s statement, the city said crews have done more than 1,700 inspections across the sewer system since the incidents, and no additional improperly connected sewers have been found.

“As part of this work, Hamilton Water continues to proactively inspect and investigate the City’s sewer system to identify risks and respond quickly to potential issues,” the statement read.

“We remain committed to continuous improvement, transparency and protecting the environment while delivering essential services residents can rely on.”

With files from Abby O’Brien and Hannah Alberga