Hamilton gets $12.7 million in federal money to guard against extreme weather

Hamilton is getting $12.7 million in federal funding, much of it to repair shorelines and protect them against extreme weather events.

The balance of the funding will be used to reduce flooding risks and protect drinking water by installing backflow devices which stop storm surges from pushing lake water into the city’s treatment plant.

The federal money will cover 40 per cent of the cost of the disaster mitigation and adaptation work.

The City of Hamilton will be responsible for the other 60 per cent, approximately $18 million.

The funding was announced by Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Francois-Philippe Champagne during a visit to the Woodward Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Champagne says “inaction is not longer an option” when it comes to climate change, and “if we are not to invest in disaster adaptation we will have to invest further in disaster remediation” and the associated human costs.

The shorelines, which were badly damaged by storms in 2017 and 2018, will be reinforced or “armoured” by adding stones to the foundation to protect against wave action.

The backflow devices, by stopping storm surges from compromising the treatment plant, will prevent the potential contamination from wastewater to drinking water.