Bloom Announcement: 2017 Hamilton Harbour Lake Ontario (Ontario Canada) Cyanobacterial Bloom

In 2017, cyanobacterial blooms were observed and characterized in Hamilton Harbour, Lake Ontario (Ontario, Canada) along Bayfront Park Beach. Hamilton Harbour is a large embayment at the western part of Lake Ontario with a long history of anthropogenic impacts, particularly from industrial effluent and residential wastewater. The beneficial use of Bayfront Park Beach has been classified as impaired for beneficial use impairment (BUI) #8, Eutrophication or Undesirable Algae, and BUI #10, Beach Closings and Water Contact Sports, under the Hamilton Harbour’s Remedial Action Plan. As part of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Great Lakes Action Plan, monthly sampling of whole water grabs, within and outside the blooms, occurred from July to November inclusive. This dataset includes biological and physico-chemical data associated with an article published in the peer-reviewed journal, Data in Brief.