The city plans to hire a contractor to “skim” vast collections of blue-green algae from the surface of Hamilton’s west harbour.
Blue-green algae is nothing new during the summer months, but this year’s outbreak is worse than normal, possibly due to consistently high temperatures and low rainfall.
Ward 2 Coun. Jason Farr acknowledges that the smell of rotting algae is causing a surge of complaints from residents.
Eric Matthews, Hamilton’s manager of safe water, says the smell is “offensive” but he “can’t see any illness being directly related to those odours,” which he notes are the result of rotting vegetation, not sewage.
Matthews adds that the outbreak is worst in “the nooks and crannies along the shoreline,” such as the marina, where there is limited water circulation.
The general manager of public works, Dan McKinnon, says that the problem is not unique to Hamilton, but because of the “extraordinary circumstance,” he’s asked environmental services to find a contractor who can help.
McKinnon adds that “we do have some bubblers that are making a bit of a difference down there, but not nearly enough.”
While the smell is not a health risk, waterfront visitors are reminded to avoid contact with the blue-green algae, since that can cause illness.