Update on 249 Hess Street North
HAMILTON, ON – April 1, 2016 – The City of Hamilton continues to respond to the incident of vandalism and spilling of industrial waste that occurred on Wednesday, March 30 at 249 Hess Street North in Hamilton.
Waste Sample Results
Samples were taken from the affected catch basin with the following metals above the City of Hamilton Sewer Use By-law:
- Copper = 6.43 mg/L (Sewer Use By-law limit of 2 mg/L)
- Nickel = 18.2 mg/L (Sewer Use By-law limit of 2 mg/L)
- Chromium = 234 mg/L (Sewer Use By-law limit of 5 mg/L)
The spilled materials were diverted to the Woodward Wastewater Treatment Plant. Public Works Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement staff can confirm that none of the material entered the lake or any other natural water bodies.
Clean-Up Efforts
On March 30, a waste management contractor was brought in to conduct immediate clean-up of approximately 50 barrels of spilled materials on the property and in the catch basin. Using a vacuum truck, the contractor recovered 6,000L of material, consisting of waste from the spilled containers and rain water.
Today, the contractor is onsite to load the barrels back into four sea containers and to weld the container doors shut. Another vacuum truck is also onsite for further clean-up due to heavy rains and additional run-off from yesterday.
Safety & Security
Onsite Public Health Inspectors have assessed health risk and determined that there is no risk to the community, but there are risks associated with trespassing on the site. In order to prevent further trespassing, 24-hour security was organized in the interim as the City arranges for repairs to the broken fence. Hamilton Police Services has been notified and are working together with the City to address security concerns at the site.
Additional updates will be provided as more information becomes available.