Shoreline Inventory and Assessment of City Owned Waterfront Assets

The Shoreline Inventory and Assessment of City of Hamilton Owned Assets presents the methodology undertaken to complete a comprehensive study of the City owned shoreline assets within the City along the shores of Lake Ontario and Hamilton Harbour, including conclusions/recommendations of the assessed shorelines.

In the spring of 2017, Lake Ontario water levels reached historical levels, exceeding the 100-year design water level of 76.0 m (IGLD) set in 2011. The City of Hamilton also experienced two significant rainfall events accompanied by strong winds from east. The combination led to flooding and significant erosion to multiple assets throughout the City. In the spring of 2019, the water levels were again close to reaching historical levels. Fortunately, winds were not as strong as in 2017. There was still flooding in a few of the City’s properties.

The Lake Ontario water level rise and the co-incident wind/wave storms are the main cause of the observed shoreline damage and erosion of the City of Hamilton shoreline assets. As part of the comprehensive study of the shoreline protection, SNC-Lavalin Inc. (SNCL) was retained by City of Hamilton to provide engineering conceptual design for shoreline protection solutions to the Hamilton Harbour Waterfront Trail (HHWT) including raising the trail elevation to consider the current extreme water levels at Lake Ontario. The design was developed by SNCL’s coastal engineering team in collaboration with the civil and structural team.

The HHWT is a 3.4-kilometre-long multi-use asphalt trail that makes its way along the west shore of Hamilton Harbour from Bayfront Park through the Desjardins Canal and continues to Princess Point. The trail connects to the Trans Canada Trail, the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail in Burlington, and the Desjardins Canal bordering Cootes Paradise.

The 2-kilometer section of trail spanning from Bayfront Park to the floating bridge located within the Desjardins Canal is the focus of this design.