Flow from city sewer overflow tank was contaminating Chedoke Creek, Cootes Paradise

City staff have discovered a malfunctioning gate connected toone of Hamilton'scombined sewer overflow tankswas allowing a stream of contaminated water to flow intoChedokeCreek andCootesParadise.

Grey blobs were spotted in the water at the beginning of July. Test results showed the water was "highly contaminated" with E. coliand the public was cautioned to stay away.

• Stay away from 'highly contaminated'ChedokeCreek,CootesParadise, city warns

"We think this is probably the biggest contributor and likely the problem," saidAndrew Grice,director of Hamilton Water."We've since closed the gate and seen the flow stop."

Staff found and fixedthe leak at the underground tank near Main Street and King Streets on Wednesday.

Grice described it as having a "substantial volume of flow"and added staff arecontinuing to work their way through an infrastructure checklistin case the contamination is coming from other sources too.

"We don't want to just pack up and leave and maybe miss something."

Caffeine points to human waste

It turns out people's predilection for a cup of Joe played a role in helping investigators identify the leak.

Grice said staff tested for caffeine in the water because it helped them rule out other natural contamination sources, sinceanimals don't drink coffee.

"Caffeine, as simple as that may sound, is a very good indicator for us that this is human waste and we did see that in some of our samples."

A snowplow for sludge

Crews spentmuch of Wednesday skimming the creek to clean up a mat of smelly grey sludge using a containment boom and boats with a special snowplow-like attachment.

The mess was mostly algae and decomposing material, not waste, but Grice said the cleanup will go a long way toward making the water look more appealing and will help get rid of the "sulfery, rotten-eggy kind of smell" that's been wafting over the water.

Stay away from the water

Public Health is continuing to warn Hamiltonians to stay out of and avoid touching the water in the creek and at Princess Point.

"If you come into contact with the water, wash yourself off promptly with warm water and soap," read a public service announcement issued by the city.

The Royal Botanical Garden docks at CootesParadisehave also been removed and warning signs about the poor water quality are posted along the affected shoreline.

Who to call about contamination

• Anyone with questions about the health risks from the water can call theSafe Water Program at 905-546-2189 or emailsafewater@hamilton.ca.
• If a member of the public discovers another source of pollution leaching into the city's sewer system or natural bodies of water they're asked to callHamilton's Spills Reporting Line at (905) 540-5188.