TRCA seeks input on implementing Humber River Watershed Plan
By Bill Rea

There are plenty of possibilities when it comes to preserving the Humber River Watershed, but its success is going to depend on the help and efforts of a lot of people.

That was one of the main points made repeatedly Thursday night, as about a dozen representatives of various community groups gathered in Nobleton Community Hall to hear what's being proposed by the Humber Alliance and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).

Gary Wilkins, Humber River specialist with TRCA, told the gathering, which was hosted by Arts Society King, they have been working on updating the Humber Watershed Plan, and have been seeking input.

He added TRCA has been working with municipalities, helping them bring their official plans into conformity with the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, and they have been looking at these municipal plans to get a sense of where things are going to be when they reach the end of their terms.

Wilkins pointed out one of the complications facing them is a lot of people don't understand what TRCA is all about. Many think the authority just manages parks. "We're far more diverse than that," he remarked, adding TRCA is responsible for some 2,500 square kilometres, including 62 kilometres of Lake Ontario waterfront. He added the Humber watershed takes up about 35 per cent of TRCA's jurisdiction.

He pointed out the Humber is a Canadian Heritage River, as recognized by both the federal and provincial governments. Much of its heritage value comes from it being part of the Carrying Place Trail, which was used as a major transportation route to the north centuries ago, and led to the establishment and growth of Toronto.

He also said the Humber Watershed is divided into five sub-watersheds; West Humber, Main Humber, East Humber, Lower Humber and Black Creek.

About 26 per cent of the East Humber Watershed is urbanized, Wilkins said, with a population of approximately 670,000. He added the population is likely to be more than one million in the next 20 years.

As a result, various landuse scenarios have been employed to determine what's going to happen to the watershed over time. They started with existing conditions, then looked at the various official plans to determine what can be expected, as well as what lands are likely to be available for development.

Wilkins said the predictions include the fact that river flows are going to increase as the watershed builds out. The increased in paved surfaces will restrict where water can get into the ground, so more of it will end up in the streams, he observed, adding that will mean there will be more chances of flooding, owing to the increased flows. If that's bad news, he said the positive side is programs have been developed to deal with these problems. The result, he said, is there's been no loss of life from flooding, including major incidents, like the one that hit the Toronto area a couple of years ago.

But he did point out these increased flows are going to create problems. He said Rainbow Creek around Woodbridge is expected to see huge volumes of water, that he warned will "rip the guts out of that tiny tributary."

He added there will be flow increases in the northern tributaries, but not quite to the same degree.

Wilkins agreed provisions like storm water management ponds help control flows, but they aren't a 100 per cent solution. "The ponds are like an end-of-pipe solution," he remarked.

As well, he said the increased flows will likely lead to more erosion. In Rainbow Creek, he said it will likely go up by 300 per cent.

That will also have a likely impact on species in the river.

TRCA released a report card on the Humber River Watershed late last year, assigning grades in more than two dozen indicators.

There were some positives in the report card that Wilkins pointed to.

They included the existing natural cover, which in the Humber Watershed stands at about 36 per cent. "The Humber's done very well," he said, compared to other watersheds.

The target is 39 per cent, he added, and it's going to take a substantial financial commitment to get there, when one considers the number of additional acres that will be needed, and the number of trees that would have to be planted on them.

On the negative side, he said there have been no refinements to outdated storm water management practices. Wilkins also pointed out some 59 per cent of watershed residents don't use public transit. "In King Township, there's a good reason for that," he remarked.

Another negative he pointed to is the fact that only about 1.7 per cent of the East Humber Watershed land is in public ownership.

When it comes to dealing with these issues, Wilkins said storm water management is the most important. Ways to address the problem include harvesting rain water, coming up with new end-ofpipe solutions, enhancing natural ground cover and aquatic habitats and maintaining education and stewardship programs and bringing them to the attention of more people.

One man at the meeting was intrigued with the suggestion of harvesting rain water. He said he had lived in the British Virgin Islands, where he said that's the norm.

"We need to turn the thinking around, and start using it as a resource," Wilkins agreed.

He observed that the development of subdivisions is starting to see acceptance of a lot of these ideas.

"The ideas are catching on, but it will take a while," he remarked.

He added work can be done on trail systems and land acquisition programs, and he pointed out there are opportunities in these areas.

Wilkins said more needs to be done to promote the heritage of the watershed, especially the Carrying Place aspects, and to try and persuade private landowners to let hikers walk the trail.

"We need the community to help us implement the management plan," he declared, adding the people at the meeting live in the area and have a better idea of the possibilities.

He mentioned community action sites, pointing out the work done at Cold Creek was an example of how the community came together to bring life back to an area that had been abandoned.

Work done on the Palgrave Mill Pond in Caledon was another example he pointed to. There had been suggestions to drain the pond, but Wilkins said when that idea was presented to the community, it didn't go over well. They were able to get all interested sides to the table for a series of meetings, and in the end, they were able to go through all the personal agendas and come up with a plan for the pond. "It's almost all implemented," he said, adding it took about five years and cost about $1.5 million.

Susan Robertson, a project manager of watershed planning and watershed management with TRCA, commented on the importance of advocacy when it comes to dealing with growth

"We can still grow," she said. "It's just how we grow."

Wilkins added they're not trying to stop development, but to make it more sensitive to the natural environment.

There were references to the large chunk of land in Nobleton that was obtained by Slokker Canada, and the fact that York Region is planting trees there. Wilkins said TRCA will be taking care of plantings in the valley lands of the site.

He added the conditions in King are good, but that doesn't mean the guard can be allowed to drop.

He added they're having trouble getting people in Caledon to buy into a reforestation program. "For what ever reason, people aren't terribly interested in it," he remarked.

Robertson added Caledon has been impacted by a lot of provincial policies. "It's caused a lot of concern in the community," she remarked.

Wilkins pointed out a community action site could involve some property that the community could rally around, possibly raising money to put it into public ownership.

Robertson mentioned next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the Humber receiving its heritage designation, and a lot could be done locally around that. Wilkins said they would be looking for all area municipalities to get involved, adding the original designation 10 years ago was just a Toronto event.