Two-and-a-half million dollars and counting.
That’s the tally so far for damage in Hamilton caused by rainfall and the high levels of Lake Ontario.
City Council was given the latest update for the cleanup and infrastructure fixes after the 170 millimetres of rain that has fallen through April and into May. As a result, the Lake Ontario water levels are the highest since 1918 — the first year such data was made available.
Escarpment mudslides, washed out roads, flooded basements and damaged trails have wreaked havoc across the city.
Public Works Director Dan McKinnon says the overload has prompted the release of diluted sewage into the harbour, amounting to the equivalent of more than 1,300 Olympic-sized swimming pools of liquid waste.
McKinnon says the waterfront trail in Hamilton’s harbour alone with need $1 million in repairs. Meanwhile, the bill to repair the partially collapsed section of York Road and install a new culvert will run about $350,000.
The costs of dealing with eroded shoreline along the lake and Confederation Park is unknown. Neither is the price tag for 38 liability claims filed within the city by flooded homeowners.