Phase 2 of the Randle Reef Environmental Remediation Project in Hamilton, Ontario – one of the largest environmental remediation projects in Canada – is moving forward according to schedule, Fraser River Pile and Dredge (FRPD) said in its latest release.
This project, conducted by FRPD and their partner Milestone Environmental Contracting, is located in the southwest corner of Hamilton Harbor, with the Randle Reef site approximately 60 hectares (120 football fields) in size.
The site contains approximately 695,000 cubic meters of sediment contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other toxic chemicals – the largest PAH-contaminated sediment site on the Canadian Great Lakes.
The contamination is often described as “ a spill in slow motion ” due to the continuing slow spread of contaminants across the harbor floor and uptake into the food chain of the harbor ecosystem.
PAH contamination at Randle Reef is a legacy of a variety of past industrial processes dating back to the 1800s. There were multiple sources of contamination including coal gasification, petroleum refining, steel making, municipal waste, sewage and overland drainage.