Existing Programs and Resources
- A Residents’ Guide to Climate Resiliency by the Durham Environmental Advisory Committee: This guide provides a general understanding of what climate change is and how it affects us as individuals and residents of Durham Region. Most importantly, this guide offers suggestions on what you can do at home and in your day-to-day life to help you better respond to, and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
- Toronto Region Conservation Authority Flood Risk Management information
- Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan 2021-2031: Carruthers Creek is a small watershed that crosses rural and urban lands, including portions of the provincial Greenbelt, before entering Lake Ontario. Urbanization and the impacts of climate change will continue to stress the health and resiliency of the watershed. Watershed planning identifies opportunities to mitigate and adapt to potential changes in watershed health arising from land use and infrastructure development patterns.
Opportunities for Action and Engagement
- LEAF Backyard Tree Planting Program: This program offers native trees and shrubs to property owners at a subsidized cost.
- Whitby Public Engagement on Climate Adaptation Plan via ISeeChange: The Town of Whitby is creating a climate adaptation plan and needs your help. To make the best plans for you and your neighbours, we need you to share your photos, stories, and data on the ISeeChange platform. Post about how the weather and climate are affecting you!
- Envision Durham Public Engagement through Municipal Comprehensive Review: The Durham Regional Official Plan guides decisions on long-term growth and development–providing policies to ensure an improved quality of life–and securing the health, safety, convenience and well-being of present and future residents of the region. During this stage, you will have the opportunity to provide feedback on proposed policy directions, including some initial findings of the Growth Management Study component of Envision Durham.
Flood Related Construction and Restoration Projects
- Oshawa culvert replacements - A culvert is a structure that channels water, typically under a roadway or embankment. By replacing these culverts, the likelihood of failure will be reduced which will keep our streets safer and reduce road closures in floods.
- Corner Marsh Restoration in Ajax: Corner Marsh is an 18-hectare lagoon within the Duffin’s Creek Coastal Marsh Complex in the Town of Ajax. To mitigate the loss of wetlands and the ecological benefits they provide, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) strategically restores and creates wetlands throughout our jurisdiction, using desktop and field assessments to identify restoration opportunities (Restoration Opportunities Planning or ROP) and a planning tool called Integrated Restoration Prioritization (IRP).
- Enhancements to the Rouge Beach and Marsh Area of Rouge National Urban Park: This project will enhance and further protect the natural and cultural integrity of the area and foster meaningful connections to its beauty and rich history, including mitigate the impacts of climate change, flooding and erosion.
Related Assessments and Updates
- Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) Watershed Flood-Risk Assessment: CLOCA identified an at-risk area upstream of the Canadian Pacific Railway subject to flooding within the City of Oshawa. The study re-defined the floodway and the flood fringe areas based on the most up-to-date floodplain information, re-examined possible mitigation options to alleviate flooding in the area, and provided an impact assessment on future developments in the White Belt areas.
- Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI) Oshawa Creek project: This project was initiated to understand the conditions, functions, and values of the natural assets along the Oshawa Creek, and to make the area more resilient to storm events. Additionally, the city wants to ensure the developments upstream of the project area manage water quantity and quality before it goes into the Oshawa Creek and do not contribute to downstream erosion, flooding, water quality degradation, and habitat loss.
- Pickering Beachfront Park Revitalization & Needs Assessment Study: Pickering’s waterfront has been significantly impacted by major storms and annual high water levels. While our main goal is to create a unique and inviting space for our residents, we need to ensure that it will be more resilient to extreme weather, and not an excessive financial burden to construct and maintain. Subject to future Capital Budget approvals and funding, the goal is to initiate the Detailed Design Process in 2022, with construction starting as early as 2023. Construction could take approximately 12 months, depending on the characteristics of the preferred design option, or be phased over multiple years.
- Duffins Creek Dyke Rehabilitation in Pickering and Ajax: Due to the flood vulnerability of the community, the area was designated as a Special Policy Area (SPA) to provide for the continued viability of existing land uses. TRCA is undertaking a Conservation Ontario Class Environmental Assessment (EA) focused on determining the preferred solution for the rehabilitation of the existing dykes.
- Uxbridge Stormwater Management Pond Assessment: The Stormwater Management Pond Assessment includes an analysis of 22 stormwater management facilities in the Township of Uxbridge. The information from the assessment helps us prioritize maintenance so that we can continue to provide a safe and healthy environment.
- Whitby Coastal Flood Risk Assessment and Municipal Class Environmental Assessment: The Town of Whitby, in partnership with the Central Lake Ontario Conservation (CLOCA) has completed a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Study to assess the risk of coastal hazards of the Whitby shoreline extending from Lakeridge Road to Boundary Road.
- Krosno Creek Flood Reduction Study in Pickering: The Frenchman's Bay Stormwater Management Master Plan (FBSWMMP) was approved by Council in 2010 and consisted of a group of projects, programs, and policies designed to address issues related to flooding, erosion, and poor water quality in Frenchman's Bay and its tributary watersheds.
- Whitby Town-wide Urban Flooding Study: The study will evaluate the Town's urban storm sewage system and overland flow network’s existing capacity, and determine flood-vulnerable areas in severe rainfall. The study will also provide the Town with a quantitative understanding of climate change impacts on the existing stormwater system.
- Clarington Updating Flood Plain Mapping for Graham and Wilmot Creeks: The Municipality of Clarington is partnering with the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (GRCA) to update flood plain mapping for the Graham and Wilmot Creek watersheds. The current mapping is nearly 45 years old and needs to be updated to provide the latest data to assist with emergency preparedness planning, including flood prevention and mitigation.
