The Twelve | Abandoned GM Lands

The lower Twelve Mile Creek in the City of St. Catharines ON has been entirely reconstructed for industrial use since the mid nineteenth century, first for the Welland Canal then for DeCew Generating Station. An abandoned General Motors plant sits on the east side of the lower Twelve. I set my H2n recorder opposite that site on the Merritt Trail on the west side of the creek then threw a hydrophone some meters out into the water. Above water, we hear many birds, Canada Geese honking and shaking, my dog panting and city traffic. Below water, the sounds are a mystery as there is no way to see the life that carries on in this murky water. One week before this recording, an environmental report was submitted to the City regarding storm sewer outfalls from the abandoned plant, including that the former GM sewer and municipal sewer outfalls exceed the PCB threshold. The Twelve empties into Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes which hold 23% of the world's surface fresh water.