Stoney Creek, here we come!

We've just received  small grant that will allow us to temporarily expand our focus and begin water monitoring in the Stoney Creek watershed! Specifically, we'll be working within Warden Park, located just east of Eastgate Mall in the Riverdale community.

Thus, we officially call all interested pipewatchers! 

If you're available, we welcome you to attend one of two workshops we'll be delivering this month. Here we'll be talking about the Pipewatch program, what we found in the Red Hill Creek watershed, what we expect to be in the Stoney Creek watershed, and how to monitor outfalls within the area. As with our past workshops, these will be walk and talks along the creek - so be sure to wear appropriate footwear and dress for the weather!

Have a group interested in pipewatching? Contact us about arranging a free private workshop at a time/date of your choice.

Sign Up Your Group/Organization to Pipewatch!

Pipewatching isn't just for individuals. If your group/organization is interesting in recording and reporting data, the Pipewatch program is happy to arrange group trainings to show you where the outfalls are and how to identify problem discharges. We'll also provide overviews of the system system and present past and current bacterial sampling information. These trainings can take place day of the week and we are willing to cater the times to fit your group's schedule.

Pipewatch Needs YOU!

Do you regularly stroll or walk your dog along the Red Hill Creek watershed? Are you concerning with levels of bacteria and pollutants that our entering our natural waterways? Then the Pipewatch program needs you to help in gathering/reporting data!

Why? The more eyes and noses we have monitoring the outfalls, the easier it will be to identify pollution trends and hotspots. Further, with more data collected and presented to the City and MOE, the better able they will be to identify and address the causes (whether it be illegal dumping or infrastructure issues). Pipewatching is also one of the best ways to help ensure that the topic of creek health remains a priority for governing officials.

And do you want to know the best part? Pipewatching is easy! And flexible!

1. Select an outfall(s) from our interactive map. ALL outfalls are available for adoption. Don't worry if someone else is watching the same outfall as you, the more information collected the better! 
2. Visit your outfall on a continual basis that fits your schedule. This could be daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Use our recording sheets and manual found on the materials page of the Pipewatch webpage.
3. Report your findings. Should you see anything concerning (very high flows, very strong odours, etc) report those immediately using the phone numbers/emails provided in the manuals. Once your recording sheet is full, submit it to us at Environment Hamilton via email or mail. 

Great Times at the Hamilton Children's Water Festival

Here are some shots of the workshops that  Pipewatch conducted over the 3 days. We were able to teach over 900 grade 4's about creek health and the impacts of poor water quality within the creek ecosystem. 

WE'RE BACK!

As promised, we've returned and are as eager as ever to get back out into the Red Hill watershed! As we work to reconnect with our volunteers and plan new training opportunities, you can catch us in the meantime at the Hamilton Children's Water Festival. Here we'll be running 3 days worth of workshops to Grade 4's throughout the city. The focus: creek critters and creek health. It should be a creepy, crawley, and educational good time!

Pipewatch Takes a Winter Break

Due to an unfortunate program funding gap, Pipewatch is taking a temporary hiatus and is expected to return in Spring 2013. What does that mean? Essentially we will need to put a hold on all workshops and trainings for the next few months (which isn't the worst thing given the frigid winter weather!). We'll return in May 2013 with a new set of activities and opportunities for resident involvement.

In the meantime, we still encourage volunteers to visit their pipes on a regular basis and continue to record any instances of fowl odor, sanitary debris, and unexplained flow (aka, pipes that are flowing when there has been no rain/snow). Environment Hamilton is still happy to receive any and all reports and is happy to field any questions about the program and specific pipes. So don't hesitate to give us a shout at 905-549-0900!

Happy Winter and see you all soon!

CBC Hamilton Takes Closer Look at E.Coli

To view the article, please visit: 

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/story/2012/11/06/hamilton-ecoli-creek.html