Everything about Burlington Bay totally explained
Burlington Bay, also known as Hamilton Harbour, is a branch of
Lake Ontario bounded on the northwest by the City of
Burlington, on the south by the City of
Hamilton, and on the east by Hamilton Beach (south of the
Burlington Skyway Bridge) and Burlington Beach (north of the channel). It is joined to
Cootes Paradise by a narrow channel formerly excavated for the
Desjardins Canal. Within Hamilton itself, it's referred to as Hamilton Harbour, the Harbour and the Bay, but never Burlington Bay.
History
Access to the bay was important for the early water transportation and industrial development of the area, including
Dundas, Ontario, which had an early but ultimately unrealized lead over both Burlington (Brant's Block) and Hamilton.
Over the years, the bay was roughly treated by its
littoral residents. Constant infilling, particularly in the North End of Hamilton, damaged fresh water streams and the wildlife they supported. Channel dredging tended to stir up natural and unnatural sediments, further disrupting the ecological balance in the area. Chemical, industrial and thermal
pollution, especially as a byproduct of the burgeoning steel industry after the 1890s, continued to degrade the environment.
By the 1970s, the
International Joint Commission, which governs water usage in the
Great Lakes Basin, and other agencies began to recognize the need for action. Greater water quality awareness, improved pollution controls, and an economic downturn all served to improve conditions in the 1980s. In the 1990s, beautification and ecological control were well underway. These measures included sealing the Lax Lands, contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants, under a cap of clay; landscaping Bayfront Park (also known as Pier 4 Park); and keeping
Asian carp from entering Cootes Paradise. The visible and measurable improvement in water quality in Burlington Bay was showcased by the very public swim of
Sheila Copps, a local
MP and federal
cabinet minister. Access and recreational use of the bayfront has improved, but use of the water for swimming is still prohibited.
Hamilton Harbour is listed as a
Great Lakes Areas of Concern in the The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada. Part of the remediation plan is to reclaim the harbour's wetlands.
Randle Reef, a site in the harbour, is considered the most dire of identified water pollution issues awaiting remediation in Canada.
Trivia
The bay is thought by some to host a North American
cryptid, described by witnesses as a large snake-like creature. A diver drowned in the bay during the filming of a low-budget horror film titled
Marina Monster on August 21, 2005.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Burlington Bay'.
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