Hamilton northwestern wharfs
The Hamilton Naturalists’ Club identified nature restoration work in the urban core of Hamilton as one of the priorities for our Head-of-the-Lake Land Trust Program in 2001. When the Hamilton Community Foundation announced funding for environmental projects that involved local neighbourhoods, we developed a proposal to identify potential nature restoration sites in the urban core of Hamilton and work with local residents and landowners to naturalize the most suitable site. Our main objective is to contribute to the establishment of healthy open spaces that will provide local residents with opportunities to access and appreciate the natural environment.
Before the development of this part of the city, Hamilton’s Inlets were rich wildlife areas with vegetation lining their banks. By 1874 rail lines ran adjacent to and crossed over Land’s Inlet. The inlet was filled in gradually in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but a valley representing the route of the inlet remained with active rail lines present. The presence of the railway and city planning for a perimeter road that would follow part of the Land’s Inlet corridor (an idea recently dropped) helped keep much of the corridor free from intensive development, creating an opportunity to restore natural vegetation in the corridor and share the history and geography of this unique part of the city.
Past Use of the Project Site
Parts of the project site were used for industrial purposes in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
Lands Inlet railway trestle
In particular a clay pigeon factory was located at the end of Ferrie Street, west of the rail line. Over many years tar spoils from this factory were dumped in the area.
In 1999, after the Plastimet fire, the Ministry of the Environment conducted soil testing at the project site and discovered high levels of Poly-aromatic Hydrocarbons, associated with the tar spoils from the former factory. In some locations these chemicals were present in well above the Ministry’s maximum allowable levels (the most contaminated areas are outside our proposed project areas). As a result the City of Hamilton undertook further studies and developed a remediation plan to make the area safe for public use.
In 2002, the city undertook environmental remediation work including capping contaminated areas with clean soil. To date all work has taken place outside the contaminated areas. As part of our project planning detailed safety protocols have been developed to ensure that the soil cap is not penetrated and the safety of project participants is safeguarded when work is undertaken in areas where contaminants are present under the protective soil cap.
(Map & drawing from Hamilton Harbour 1826 – 1901 by Ivan S. Brooks)
