Hamilton plans new water pumping station at 1845 Main Street West to replace 1968 Main and Whitney station; review ends October 30

What is proposed

The City of Hamilton has completed a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment for a new water pumping station to serve customers in Pressure District 17 (PD17) and to improve water system security and reliability. The area is currently supplied through the existing HD17A pumping station at Main Street West and Whitney Avenue, a below-grade facility the City says has exceeded its recommended useful life and needs substantial rehabilitation.

The preferred solution is to build a new pumping station at 1845 Main Street West, next to the existing station, and to decommission the old station once the new one is commissioned. The study was carried out as a Schedule B project, and the City says Phases 1 and 2 of the process are complete.

Why a new station

According to the Final Project File Report prepared for the City by Arcadis, the station draws water from Pressure District 2 and boosts pressure in PD17, which has no floating storage of its own. A 2012 condition assessment found it in fair to poor repair, and a 2015 feasibility study ruled out doing nothing because the station does not meet current design standards or eliminate existing health and safety risks. The report recommended replacing it with an above-ground station.

The report says negotiations with the affected property owner to secure the land will begin during detailed design, and that a heritage impact assessment is needed for possible vibration effects on a cultural heritage landscape within 50 metres of the work. Its cost table estimates $8.8 million at the preferred site, mostly the $8 million pumping station itself; the other short-listed sites ranged from $9.1 million to $9.7 million.

How to review and comment

The Environmental Study Report is posted on the City's Main & Whitney (HD17A) Water Pumping Station project page and is also available in person at the Dundas Municipal Service Centre (60 Main Street, Dundas), the Hamilton Public Library Westdale Branch (955 King Street West) and the Municipal Clerk's Office at City Hall (71 Main Street West). Questions go to the City's project managers or the consultant, whose contacts are listed in the notice.

What happens next

Requests for an order under section 16 of the Environmental Assessment Act must be received by the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks by October 30, 2026, with a copy to the City. The notice says that if no request is received by then, the new pumping station will proceed to design and construction as presented.