Province orders Chedoke spill cleanup, rejects Hamilton’s “do nothing approach”

The province has rejected Hamilton's do nothing approach" to cleaning up a 24-billion-litre sewage spill and has ordered the city to dredge parts of pollution-ravaged Chedoke Creek.

The Spectator revealed last fall that an inexplicably open sewer gate had spilled the equivalent of 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools of sewage into the west end creek over four years.

City council decided in April not to clean up the creek bottom or nearby areas of Cootes Paradise marsh based on a consulting report that suggested there was no lasting damage from the spill - even though a different consultant had previously recommended dredging.

The provincial Minstry of Environment, Conservation and Parks rejected that plan Friday.

A do nothing approach' is unacceptable and does not address the potential for adverse effect as required by the Environmental Protection Act," spokesperson Jennifer Hall said in an email.

The province ordered the city last fall to submit a spill remediation and monitoring plan last fall.

It had been evaluating the city's proposal - to test water at sewer outfalls, but otherwise do no cleanup - since April.

On Friday, the ministry announced it disagrees" with the city's approach and issued a new order to do spot dredging" in portions of Chedoke Creek.

It also wants the city to take a second look at spill impacts and remedial measures in Cootes Paradise.

Separately, the ministry is still investigating whether the sewage spill broke the law.

More to come.