TOWARD SAFE HARBOURS Tracking the Implementation of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan 2000 IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE with a focus on Non-Point Source Pollution Seventh Annual Report of the BARC Monitoring Committee TOWARD SAFE HARBOURS 2000 Implementation Update Stacey Cherwaty, BSc. Editor Thanks to all of the participating stakeholders for their continued dedication to the goals of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan. Thanks to the Region of Halton for providing printing services for this report. You can also view this report on BARC's web site at www.on.ec.gc.ca\glimr\barc. Click on "What's New." Bay Area Restoration Council Monitoring Committee members: Julie Bergshoeff Craig McGinlay Janette Brenner Jo-Anne Rzadki Noel Fraser Rosemary Van Oostrom David Gale John Vogt Allan Jones Richard Walker Brian McCarry Roland Weiler April 2001 Bay Area Restoration Council of Hamilton-Wentworth and Halton Regions Inc. The Bay Area Restoration Council, commonly known as BARC, is at the centre of efforts to restore and protect the ecosystem health of Hamilton Harbour and its watershed. BARC is a non-profit organization established in 1991 as a successor to the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan (RAP) stakeholders group. Membership includes representatives from over 60 local organizations, industries, and government agencies as well as private citizens. BARC is directed by a community-based Board of Directors with the support of Environment Canada. BARC staff, committees, and volunteers provide a number of public awareness, education, and community outreach programs as well as ongoing assessment and commenting activities aimed at promoting the clean-up of Hamilton Harbour and its watershed. Bay Area Restoration Council Room B130F (Lobby) Life Sciences Building McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1 phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 27405 fax: (905) 522-6066 email: [email protected] internet: www.on.ec.gc.ca\glimr\barc Comments from the BARC Monitoring Committee ... The first Toward Safe Harbours report to monitor the progress of the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) for Hamilton Harbour was published in 1994. The 2000 Toward Safe Harbours is the seventh edition of this report. The first report lists specific issues that are still relevant today. Successes have been achieved in wildlife and habitat restoration. There has been considerable strides in public access to the West End of the Harbour, but in some areas of the Harbour, little improvement has been achieved. Pollution reduction is a very mixed bag where reductions in loadings from industrial and municipal point sources, as well as non- point sources have been made, but little has been achieved in the actual clean-up and removal of contaminated sediments. The BARC Monitoring Committee believes that many initiatives are being undertaken by stakeholders in the Hamilton Harbour watershed to help achieve the goals of the RAP and de-list the Harbour as an Area of Concern. Significant achievements were made in 2000, including the opening of the Hamilton Harbour Waterfront Trail. The RAP Forum has also continued its vital work on updating the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan. The most notable observation in this year’s report is the amount of dedication and continued effort that is being applied to achieve the RAP goals. Industry, government and the community are revamping, developing and supporting various programs, initiating new projects, performing monitoring studies, upgrading facilities and educating the public; all in an effort to help achieve the goals of the RAP. There has also been disappointments in 2000, the greatest being the postponement of the dredging and clean up of the heavily contaminated Randle Reed sediments. Although it is now hoped that the work will go ahead in 2002, it is unfortunate that half a decade of discussion and apparent agreement on the methods to be used, did not lead to action this year. In past TSH reports, the Monitoring Committee has asked respondents to focus on a variety of topics including water management and wastewater treatment. The 2000 report focused on non-point source pollution. Chapter Two highlights the efforts taken by various groups and organizations to reduce non-point source pollution. Chapter Three of the report includes general highlights, as well as future initiatives that will help achieve the goals of the RAP. ... continued on next page Comments from the BARC Monitoring Committee (cont'd) As in the 1994 report, although some contributions to the Monitoring Committee were excellent, information provided this year was of variable quality, if provided at all. Quantitative information on pollution reductions, specifically non-point source pollution, to Hamilton Harbour was lacking. This lack of information makes it difficult to judge the progress made in terms of water quality. It is especially important that institutes whose mandate is to collect and disseminate monitoring information, provide this data to allow for beneficial and appropriate monitoring to occur. The BARC Monitoring Committee has utilized a similar format for the Toward Safe Harbours report over the past seven years. The Monitoring Committee plans to modify the approach for next year’s edition, and we welcome your suggestions, in order for the report to better meet the needs of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan. It was noted in the 1994 report that the Remedial Action Plan is not a collection of unrelated items, but rather a “jig-saw puzzle, where each piece must be correctly aligned and oriented for the whole to be complete”. Recognition of the interdependency of our efforts is necessary, if we are to achieve the de-listing of Hamilton Harbour as an Area of Concern. Sincerely, Roland Weiler Roland R. Weiler, Chair BARC Monitoring Committee Table Of Contents 1.0 Toward Safe Harbours: .........................................................................2 Tracking the Implementation of the Remedial Action Plan Introduction ................................................................................................................... 2 Participating Stakeholders ............................................................................................ 4 2.0 Stakeholder Activities: ...........................................................................5 Non-Point Source Pollution Highlights Non-Point Source Pollution Highlights ......................................................................... 5 3.0 Stakeholder Activities: ...........................................................................7 Highlights from the Report General Highlights ........................................................................................................ 7 Future Initiatives .......................................................................................................... 10 4.0 Implementation Updates: ....................................................................13 Report from Harbour Stakeholders Federal Government ................................................................................................... 13 Provincial Government ............................................................................................... 19 Local Government ...................................................................................................... 21 Industry ...................................................................................................................... 35 Community Agencies ................................................................................................. 45 Community Groups .................................................................................................... 53 Educational ................................................................................................................. 67 Appendices Appendix A: Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan Recommendations Appendix B: Toward Safe Harbours 2000 Stakeholder Questionnaire Appendix C: Stakeholder Contact List Appendix D: Acronyms Appendix E: Skyway Treatment Plant Loadings Appendix F: Region of Halton Non-Point Source Pollution Summary Appendix G: Dofasco Environmental Management Agreement Summary Appendix H: Dofasco Process Effluent Water Quality Appendix I: Stelco, Hilton Works Loadings Appendix J: Green Venture’s Pesticide Free Naturally Action Campaign Report CHAPTER Toward Safe Harbours Tracking the Implementation 1 of the Remedial Action Plan INTRODUCTION he Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan (RAP) Stage 2 Report was released in November of 1992. The 50 original recommendations were created to Timprove the health of Hamilton Harbour and its watershed. These recommendations are in the process of being updated through the RAP Forum and the most current approved version is located in Appendix A. The update of the RAP recommendations is part of the larger task of updating the Stage 2 Report. The original recommendations are being examined to determine if they are still valid, if they need to be revised or deleted, and if any new recommendations should be included. RAP stakeholders from government, industry, and community groups have been working to implement these recommendations within their respective mandates and jurisdictions. The Bay Area Restoration Council (BARC) was established in 1991 to monitor, assess and promote the RAP. One way that BARC monitors implementation efforts is through the publication of the Toward Safe Harbours report. Each year, the BARC Monitoring Committee requests that