Construction completed on Ferguson Ave pumping station

Beneath the streets of Hamilton, lie the arteries that give it life.

“The City of Hamilton has about 2000 km of water distribution piping, and this facility forms the heart of it,” says Dan McKinnon, director of Hamilton water.

That heart, is nestled against the escarpment, just below Sam Lawrence park, and recently there’s been a transplant.

The original pumping station opened in 1912 to serve a city of roughly 80,000 people, that was rapidly growing.

One of the biggest consumers of water in the city were the local fire brigades, as a building boom of wooden, residential houses created constant demand.

For more than a hundred years, this station, kept pace with that demand.

But with more than 100 million litres a day flowing through these pipes, it was time for an upgrade. McKinnon says the facility has a life expectancy of at least 50 years.

It covers two water districts from Corktown, all the way to Dundas, as well as parts of the west mountain, near the escarpment, serving two hospitals, a university, and scores of schools, restaurants, and downtown businesses. It also faces, some unique challenges.

“The water distribution system is probably one of the most complex in the country. We have 28 different pressure zones. We’ve got a fairly sprawling system, the escarpment, 300 feet, presents a real challenge for pumping,” McKinnon says.

And to top it off, the available space for construction on the pumping station site was so small, the city had to use vertical pumps, instead of traditional horizontal pumps, just to save space. They also had to shut down Corktown park for nearly three years to provide a storage site for construction materials and equipment.

The official re-opening was a big deal for the neighbourhood.

“It’s the most important pumping station in the city. If it shut down, it would have widespread implications on the city.”

Which is why they’re hoping that this new heart keeps beating steadily, for another 100 years.