the information below was accessed Feb 1st 2020 at the city waterfront site here
EARTHWORKS/FLOOD PROTECTION
Lakefilling around Essroc Quay will support the realignment of Cherry Street and create the foundation for Promontory Park. We will also create coves along the new shoreline where fish can find food and shelter and small boats can launch.
The north side of Polson Slip will become part of the naturalized river valley. The wall of the slip will be reinforced so that it can withstand fast-flowing waters during a major storm.
We’ll create a new one kilometre river valley as a new outlet through which the Don River can flow. The banks of this river valley will be reinforced to withstand fast-flowing waters during a major storm. A naturalized river mouth will be part of a renewed ecological system of coastal wetlands and meadows. In total, we’ll create 40 hectares of lush greenspace and parkland as part of this project, including these wetlands.
In total, we’ll create 40 hectares of lush greenspace and parkland as part of this project. That includes the wetlands and marshes in the Don Greenway. The Don Greenway will be a new secondary outlet for the Don River. During very large floods, water from the Don River will flow through the Don Greenway into the existing Ship Channel. In normal conditions, the wetlands in the Don Greenway will be sustained by water from the Ship Channel.
This raised area will be built south of Lake Shore Boulevard along the existing Don Roadway. It will eliminate the risk of flooding to the area of the Port Lands east of the Don Roadway.
This flood protection landform will be built on the east bank of the Don River between the Metrolinx Rail Bridge over the Don Valley Parkway and Lake Shore Boulevard. It will eliminate the risk of flooding to the future East Harbour development site, east of the Don River.
Sediment and debris need to be removed regularly from the Don River to keep water flowing safely through the river valley, reduce the impact of flooding and maintain safe navigation in the inner harbour. Currently, Ports Toronto dredges mud, silt and larger debris from the Keating Channel. To allow water to flow under the Lake Shore Bridge during a major flood, we need to widen and deepen the Don River upstream of this bridge. This will slow down the water, releasing more sand and silt onto the river bed. To address this, we are moving dredging operations and debris management north of Lake Shore.
We will install a series of weirs (fences or enclosures) near the Lake Shore Bridge that will allow us to control the amount of water that enters the new river valley and the Keating Channel. This will help avoid flooding and ensure that there’s always enough water flowing through the new river valley to support a healthy ecological system.
We will raise the grade of the land surrounding the Eastern Avenue underpass of the CN Rail line to help protect against flooding during major storms.
