Waterdown Trunk Watermain Twinning Class Environmental Assessment and Conceptual Design

Thank you for registering for the Landowner’s Meeting. We will be sending you the access instructions two days prior to the event. The latest materials available are located on the Engage Hamilton website under “Virtual Public Information Centre (PIC) #2”. These materials walk you through the problem/opportunity statement, an updated inventory of existing conditions, alternative routes, and draft evaluation criteria. 

Since PIC #2, the project team has evaluated the route alternatives and selected the preliminary preferred route, presented in the Notice of Landowner’s Meeting. The Landowner’s Meeting is being held in advance of the public meeting (PIC No. 3) for the landowners located near or adjacent to the preliminary preferred route. During this meeting, the project team will present the evaluation of the alternative routes and discuss the preliminary preferred route, construction methodology, potential impacts, and next steps. The project team is also looking to receive feedback and will be able to answer any questions you may have about the study. The presentation materials can be shared following the meeting.

The purpose of this Municipal Class Environmental Assessment is to determine the preferred alternative route to construct a trunk watermain to provide redundancy and water security to the Community of Waterdown. Rock Chapel Road is located within a rural area which, under the City of Hamilton’s Official Plan (Section C.5.3), is prohibited from any connections to municipal water servicing at this time. In addition, as a standard engineering practice, water servicing is not directly connected to a trunk watermain.

Within the City's Official Plan, in which an excerpt of the Rural Hamilton Official Plan is as follows:

C.5.3 Lake-Based Municipal Water and Wastewater Systems (OPA(R)-5)

It is the objective of this Plan to prohibit the extension or expansion of all lake-based, municipal water and wastewater services outside the urban area boundary.

5.3.1 The Province requires municipalities to prohibit the extension or expansion of lake-based municipal services outside of urban area boundaries for properties within the City limits, except in response to public health emergencies. No extensions of the municipal lake-based water and wastewater systems shall be permitted into rural area lands detailed in this Plan unless the Medical Officer of Health declares an urgent public health emergency and there are no viable alternatives to rectify the emergency except by the provision of municipal water and/or wastewater systems to the affected population.

5.3.2 The City may allow existing lots and existing uses that front on a rural/urban boundary road, to connect to existing municipal water and wastewater systems, provided all the following conditions are met:

a) the area shall remain outside the urban area and shall be designated Agriculture, Specialty Crop or Rural in the Rural Hamilton Official Plan; and,

b) sufficient supply and capacity are available to service the existing development.

This Waterdown Trunk Watermain Twinning Class Environmental Assessment (EA) does not provide information regarding water service to Greensville. As a matter of fact, City of Hamilton has completed a comprehensive Master Plan study for Greensville called Mid-Spencer Creek/Greensville Rural Settlement Area Subwatershed Study, which includes the recommendations for water servicing for Greensville community.