Chedoke Creek remediation update: City of Hamilton to resume targeted dredging work at Chedoke Creek

HAMILTON, ON –As part of the City of Hamilton’s Chedoke Remediation plan, the targeted dredging work is scheduled to resume. Preparatory works will start Wednesday, September 21, 2022 with in-water dredging to begin four to five days later.

The targeted dredging work is anticipated to take four months to complete, wrapping up by December 31, 2022 or sooner, in alignment with the deadline specified in the Director’s Order issued to the City by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP).

Construction mobilization, including the construction of the Dredge Material Management Area and other ancillary works began in late July. The arrival and set up of the dredge machine began on Wednesday, August 17, 2022. The City paused the work when community members arrived on the worksite on August 18, 2022.

As per the approval of Council on Wednesday, September 14, City staff will begin negotiations with First Nations stakeholders who have been part of City consultation efforts with regards to environmental monitoring agreements during the dredging process.

The City engaged in consultation with First Nations Communities on the project, including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Huron-Wendat Nation, and two organizations representing the Haudenosaunee people. Consultation with the Haudenosaunee included the Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council (SNEC) through their land and resource department and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) through their representative agency, the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI).

The City has taken all necessary steps to ensure wildlife and species at risk located within Chedoke Creek and Cootes Paradise are protected throughout the remediation process. The dredging plan has received input from the MECP, Hamilton Conservation Authority, Ministry of Transportation, Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Royal Botanical Gardens.

In-water work is expected to take place seven days a week between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Excess noise, dust or smells are not expected as part of this work and residents with questions or concerns can contact the City’s Customer Contact Centre at 905-546-CITY (2489) and state that the call is related to the Chedoke Creek remediation project.

Over the coming weeks, residents may notice an increased level of truck traffic along Macklin Street N and temporary construction sites at the base of Longwood Road S near the Desjardin Trail as well as Macklin St N across from Kay Drage Park. Other impacts related to the dredging work include:

• Kay Drage Park will remain closed for public access for the duration of the construction activities.
• The Access Trail located behind Nicholas Mancini Centre will remain closed for the remainder of the dredging activities.

The City of Hamilton continues to be committed to the health of the watershed and to ensuring members of the public receive regular updates on the City’s efforts. Given the significance of this project, the City has launched a dedicated project website to share timelines, permitting status details, a construction schedule and information on each offsetting remediation/mitigation project identified in the Cootes Paradise Workplan at: www.hamilton.ca/ChedokeCreekRemediation.