The City of Hamilton hopes to resume dredging in Chedoke Creek on Friday.
Nick Winters, Hamilton’s director of water, revealed that target while taking questions from city councillors on Wednesday.
“We’re hopeful to be able to restart on Friday,” cautioned Winters. “The contractor does have a number of items to complete before they’re ready to get started.”
The targeted dredging of more than 11,000 cubic metres of contaminated sediment from Chedoke Creek was to have started last month, but was halted on Aug, 18, because of a dispute over proper consultation with the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI).
HDI lawyer Aaron Detler, who represents traditional Indigenous leaders, says the city must submit an application and pay a fee to get their consent for the remediation project.
The city has responded to offering to pay Indigenous environmental monitors to oversee the work.
“We have a designed protest area,” council was told by Carlisle Khan, Hamilton’s general manager of public works. “Should someone show up and wish to exercise their rights, we’re in favour of that, so that can be safely done.”
According to provincial orders, as issued by Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, dredging must be completed by Dec. 31, 2022.
Ward 6 Coun. Tom Jackson said the resumption of work will be music to the ears of his constituents.
“All I’ve heard from my community,” stressed Jackson, “is that they want to hopefully get on with the remediation of Chedoke Creek.”
The plan for targeted dredging follows the release of 24 billion litres of sewage and untreated wastewater through a partially opened gate on a combined sewer overflow (CSO) tank between 2014 and 2018.