Structural failure causes partial collapse of Port Hope Harbour wall

According to municipal staff, a 100-meter part of the Port Hope Harbour (located in Ontario, Canada) wall collapsed due to a structural failure. 

The staff explains that the decay of the wall's strength was anticipated by the municipality. Last year, authorities installed a silt curtain to prevent any suspended materials from being transferred into the rest of the harbour in case that the wall collapsed. "The silt barrier was fitted as a temporary measure until full remediation of the harbour was scheduled to take place," officials said.

On October 9, the Municipality of Port Hope commented on the collapse: "Residents are assured that this incident does not pose a health or safety concern and that municipal staff are closely monitoring both the water quality and sanitary main pipe, while investigations continue." The incident was reported to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Repair plans are to be implemented in order to address the issue. In particular:

1. A new silt curtain will be installed in the next days along the west part of the wall stretching from the north to the south end.
2. Investigation of the sanitary sewer line was conducted and the results show no damage to the pipe.
3. Municipal staff and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) will perform regular water sampling on a daily basis to ensure water complies with the current standards.