Hamilton Harbor

Rhode Island 1981 immatures liver vs. diet Max. 1.0 DW vs. 0.8-2.1 DW Hamilton Harbor, Ontario vs. Long Island Sound, New York 43... 

Ontario, Canada Hamilton Harbor 1984 eggs 2,3,7,8-TCDD 67 FW 30... 

Nickel concentrations from five stations in Lake Huron in 1980 had median and maximum nickel concentrations of 0.54 and 3.8 pg/L, respectively (Dolan et al. 1986). In a 1982 survey, nickel concentrations in Hamilton Harbor, Lake Ontario, ranged from <1 to 17 pg/L, with a median of 6 pg/L (Poulton 1987). The median nickel concentration from an analogous 1980 survey was 4 pg/L. Suspended sediment in surface samples (0.2 m) at Hamilton Harbor, Lake Ontario, contained 17-23 ppm nickel samples from a depth of 20 m contained 67-87 ppm, similar to the 66 ppm of nickel found in bottom sediment samples (Poulton 1987). These findings suggest that resuspension of bottom sediment is a major contributor to the suspended sediment at 20 m depth. 

Poulton DJ. 1987. Trace contaminant status of Hamilton Harbor. J Great Lakes Res 13 193-202. 

Poulton DJ, Simpson KJ, Barton DR, et al. 1988. Trace metals and benthic invertebrates in sediments of nearshore Lake Ontario and Hamilton Harbor. J Great Lakes Res 14 52-65. 

In 1993, the Daramend process was used to treat 150 metric tons of sediment contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from Hamilton Harbor. According to the vendor, the cost of this demonstration was approximately 26,250 or 175 per ton (D10085W, p. 15 D169839). 

Hamilton Harbor, Ontario vs. Long Island Sound, New York... 

The studies reported here were conducted in several different environments. The lakes studied included Lake Erie, Lake Ontario (Hamilton Harbor at the extreme westerly end of Lake Ontario), and Jacks Lake and Rice Lake in Ontario, Canada. The locations of the stations and study areas are shown in Figure 1 more details are described elsewhere (13, 14). 

The sediments in nearshore areas of the Great Lakes are much more contaminated with PAHs than the open lake sediments. This is primarily because the coastal areas where one would sample contain the major ports where shipping and industry are concentrated. There are most certainly uncontaminated sediments in coastal areas, but for obvious reasons would not be sampled. The four highest reported sediment concentrations for 21 PA I Is are Duluth/Superior Harbor on Lake Superior, Milwaukee Harbor on Lake Michigan, the Detroit River between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie and Hamilton Harbor on Lake Ontario (Fig. 7). The highest concentration reported was for Hamilton Harbor at 580 xg g 1, but that does not necessarily make it the most contaminated, as the range in concentrations were broad for all of the coastal areas. 

Markosova, R. 1991. Growth of bacterioplankton on dissolved organic carbon in Hamilton Harbor and Western Lake Ontario. Water Pollution Research Journal of Canada 26 173-185. 

Leppard, GG Flannigan, D.T., Mavrocordatos, D., Marvin, C.H., Bryant, D.W., and McCarry, B.E. (1998) Binding of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by size classes of particulate matter in Hamilton harbor water. Environ. Sci. Technol. 32, 3633-3639. 

Mallard duck Hamilton Harbor, Canada 1990 0.161 Gebauer and Weseloh 1993... 

Richards SR and Knowles R, Inhibition of nitrous oxide reduction by a component of Hamilton Harbor sediment, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., 17, 39, 1995. 

The ammonia concentration measured in Hamilton Harbour, Ontario, Canada was typically 0.1-3 mg/L (100-3,000 ppb) in the early 1980s. This body of water is used for water transport, as a source for industrial cooling water, and as a receptor for waste water disposal (Snodgrass and Ng 1985). Measurements made a few years later (1987-1988), in contrast, showed much lower concentrations. Measured concentrations, however, were still greater than the International Joint Commission objective of 20 pg/L for more than half the year, and concentrations often exceeded the chronic toxicity threshold of 300 pg/L (Barica 1990). This work reported that ammonia loadings into Hamilton Harbor had decreased over the late 1970 s and 1980 s, and the measured concentrations may reflect that change. 

Nickel concentrations in the organs of most avian wildlife species in unpolluted ecosystems range from about 0.1 to 2.0mg/kg DW and occasionally reach 5.0mg/kg DW. In nickel-contaminated areas, nickel concentrations were elevated in feathers, eggs, and internal tissues of birds when compared to conspecifics collected at reference sites. In contaminated ecosystems, mean nickel concentrations between 31.0 and 36.0mg/kg DW occur in primary feathers of mallards Anas platyrhynchos) collected 20-30 km from a nickel smelter, bone of the common tern (Sterna hirundo) from Hamilton Harbor, Ontario, and eggshell of the tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) from the Hackensack River, New Jersey. 

The Hamilton Harbor Area of Concern includes the largest iron and steel industrial complex in Canada. Two steel companies. The Steel Company of Canada (Stelco) and the Dominion Boundaries and Steel Company (Dofasco), have made significant strides in reducing contaminant loadings to the harbor through waste minimization and enhanced wastewater treatment. 

Milwaukee Harbor Rouge River Maumee River Rochester Embayment Hamilton Harbor... 

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