Clean-up of Randle Reef begins next month
- Robert
- 18 Jun 2018
The next phase of the Randle Reef cleanup is set to begin in early July. This phase of the project is estimated to last two years and cost $32 million.
Randle Reef, located West of the Stelco property, is home to the biggest toxic coal tar spill in Canada. Such a large amount of underwater waste is the byproduct of decades worth of industrial activity. The amalgamation of such waste began during the 1800s via a coal gasification plant in the area.
In order to clean out the coal tar from the Hamilton Harbour spot, a custom-made industrial-scale vacuum will be used. The underwater vacuum cleaner will suck up the contaminated sediments and deposit them into a large steel container on site.
The steel container has been built over the most severely contaminated area of the reef. At the end of the cleanup, the container will be capped and later turn into a pier.
The water that’s sucked in alongside the sediments will be treated as the sediments settle. After the water is treated, it will be pumped back into the Harbour.
The Great Lakes are one of the world’s largest repositories of freshwater, and one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. Our government is investing more than $45 million to help clean up the #RandleReef contaminated sediment site in the Hamilton Harbor. pic.twitter.com/4QFeNvjIvZ
— Catherine McKenna (@cathmckenna) April 5, 2018
The clean-up of Randle Reef has been years in the making. It’s taken the city and environmental advocates decades to both agree on a clean-up plan and to secure funding. If things go as planned, the entire project will be completed by 2022.
What are your thoughts about the Randle Reef clean up? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 0
There are no comments
Add comment