Little Etobicoke Creek Kiosk Design

LITTLE ETOBICOKE CREEK KIOSK DESIGN Kathleen Corey and Sarah Taslimi LARC 643 November 07, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AERIAL CONTEXT PHOTOGRAPH We would like to thank Bob Levesque for taking the time to Dixie Road Acknowledgements ... 2 Figure 1: Aerial Context Photograph ... 2 guide us through Little Etobicoke Creek, and Mark Inglis for providing valuable technical information on which to base our designs. N Executive Summary ... 2 Figure 2: Dixie Farmerettes ... 3 Kennedy Park Introduction ... 2 Figure 3: Vegetation ... 4 Burnhamthorpe EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Public Lit School tle Literature Review ... 3 Figure 4: Pathway Flooding ... 6 • The purpose of this study is to develop an interpretive kiosk Et coke Burnhamthorpe Road East obi Cr for Little Etobicoke creek, based on an informed Landscape eek Methodology ... 3 Figure 5: Physiography Map ... 7 Resource analysis. • This study was requested by Mark Inglis. Dufferin-Peel Applewood Findings ... 3 - 10 Figure 6: Option 1 Perspective ... 11 • An investigation was conducted jointly by Kathleen Corey and Catholic District Hills Park Sarah Taslimi. School Board Kiosk Design Options ... 11 - 12 Figure 7: Option 2 Perspective ... 12 • The main findings are that the creek is slowly regenerating Tomken Road Bloor Street through rehabilitation efforts. Recommendation ... 13 Figure 8: Option 2 Section ... 12 • It was concluded that an interpretive kiosk be provided to educate the public about this environmental regeneration. Appendices: Figures 9: Little Etobicoke Creek ... 13 • It is recommended that the first kiosk option be implemented following further consultation. Figure 1 A: Arborist Report ... 14 LIST OF TABLES B: Drawing 1 – Landscape Units Map ... 15 Table 1: Native Trees of Mississauga ... 5 INTRODUCTION put in place with the goal of counteracting the effects of intense urbanization (Interview with Bob Levesque 2011). The effects of those C: Bio-engineering Details ... 16 Table 2: Native Vertebrates of ... 8 Little Etobicoke Creek is one of four subwatershed basins that efforts and the state of the creek today will be presented in this report. Mississauga make up Etobicoke Creek in Peel Region. It emerges from a culvert D: Option 1 Kiosk Plan ... 17 on the south side of Britannia Road East and continues southeast This report will focus on the section of the creek that begins Table 3: Land Use Chart ... 9 until it reaches Etobicoke Creek, just north of the Queensway (Peel at Burnhamthorpe Road and ends at Bloor Street in Mississauga, References ... 18 - 19 Regional Road 20). Before its rehabilitation approximately 20 years encompassing Applewood Hills Park. A landscape resources report, ago, the rapid waters of Little Etobicoke Creek had eroded the including information on vegetation, microclimate, external influences, channel, destabilizing the banks and creating an uninhabitable space hydrology and soils will inform the design of two kiosk options. One of for wildlife. Various methods of bio-engineering, the establishment of these options will be recommended for implementation, based on a meanders throughout the creek and naturalization of vegetation were thorough assessment of the site. 1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW FINDINGS In 1992, recognizing the danger to human, animal and plant life, conservation authorities directed that all new and rehabilitation designs Information on the Little Etobicoke Creek subwatershed was CULTURAL and ECOLOGICAL HERITAGE focus on softening the edges of banks “to reflect a more natural stream found in two reports developed by the Toronto Region Conservation system” (City of Mississauga 2006: 7). These new changes can include Authority (TRCA): the Etobicoke and Mimico Creeks Watersheds Little Etobicoke Creek is located in what was once an original the establishment of pools and riffles, natural vegetation buffers along Technical Update Report (2010) and The Aquatic Ecosystem (2006). pioneer settlement-turned-village called Dixie. According to Heritage the tops of banks and bio-engineering bank stabilization. It was through Mississauga (2009), Dixie’s proximity to the commercially successful these methods that a riparian vegetation was re-established along the Working drawings of the rehabilitation designs were provided Cooksville prevented it from becoming a commercial centre itself. The banks of Little Etobicoke Creek, and the eroded U-channel stream was by the landscape architecture firm Marshall Macklin Monaghan. extensive residential zone surrounding Little Etobicoke Creek today turned into a “B” and “C” type channel. A recent site visit on October Background information on channel designs was found in the article can be traced to its agricultural heritage. As a prosperous agricultural 19th, 2011, confirmed that the changes serve to reduce water velocity, Performance of Natural Channel Designs in Southwestern Ontario community, Dixie was easily transformed into a residential suburb as the improve water quality, create fish and mammal habitats, improve air (Ness and Joy 2002). population grew and expanded. quality and create an aesthetically pleasing natural area. Inevitably, as the city expanded vegetated areas were overtaken According to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority METHODOLOGY Figure 3: Urban Vegetation Zone (right) juxta- by transportation infrastructure, utility lines and urban housing. Today, (TRCA), Little Etobicoke Creek is in a transitional riparian zone, posed by Riparian Forest Edge (left). To begin, research on the landscape resources of Little Etobicoke of Little Etobicoke Creek’s 2400 hectares, 76.5 percent are urbanized containing a combination of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems (2006: Creek was conducted using TRCA reports, meteorological records, and 23.5 percent are natural (TRCA 2006: 15). As vegetation decreased, 23). This riparian zone is expanding owing to the engineering efforts rehabilitation working drawings and aerial photography. Subsequently, the water table lowered and many small creeks dried up, leaving the previously described, and the formula that “any untended area will the floodplain and are planted with trees that can sustain seasonal a landscape resources map (Appendix B) was developed and used as task of collecting stormwater to the few remaining subwatersheds, eventually develop back into a natural area through the process of flooding. The presence of Norway and Sugar Maple (Acer platanoides the basis for a design charrette aimed at developing options for an including Little Etobicoke Creek (Inglis 2011). Of a total 82.7 hectares succession” (City of Mississauga 2006: 8). While Little Etobicoke Creek and saccharum), and Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) indicates moist, interpretive kiosk. The reference Design with Microclimate by Robert of historic wetland in Little Etobicoke Creek, only 3.3 hectares remain; has a higher level of woody riparian vegetation than Etobicoke Creek’s well-drained soil, while Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) hints at D. Brown (2010) was consulted during the development of the kiosk a loss of 96% (TRCA 2006: 43). Initially, engineering practices aimed at other subwatersheds, its 22 per cent is “still well below the targeted 75 humidity. options. The merits of each option were weighed to determine the best managing increased stormwater included straightened channels, riprap per cent cover targets” of subwatershed banks (Environment Canada course of action. revetment and banks stabilized by concrete, rock-filled wire baskets 1998 in TRCA 2006: 105). Flanking the creek starting at Burnhamthorpe Road and and armourstone. While these designs were efficient at redirecting continuing for some distance is a riparian forest edge (Area 2). Glossy stormwater into the lake, they were also expensive to maintain and had VEGETATION Buckthorn (Frangula alnus) and Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolon- the ultimate effect of speeding up water during heavy rainstorms (City of ifera), indicative of a forest edge and moist soil, were noted along the Mississauga 2006: 7). Those parts of the creek that were not protected Aerial photography, combined with information gathered Applewood Trail beside the creek. White willow (Salix alba) dominates by armourstone, including the section of Little Etobicoke Creek featured from a site visit to Little Etobicoke creek, confirmed that there are the canopy and confirms the disturbance that took place during the in this report, were excessively eroded, not only resulting in a public approximately four distinctive areas of vegetation. These areas are reconstruction of Little Etobicoke Creek. Riparian sedges and grasses safety concern, but significant loss of wildlife habitat. In addition, the indicated on the Landscape Units drawing (Appendix B). The first type of were found along the shoreline. Lastly, White Ash (Fraxinus americana) eroded banks invited vandalism and threatened the surrounding private area, a manicured urban zone with sparse tree cover, is most abundant. saplings cover the floor and are likely to overtake the willows in time property (Inglis 2011). Although these sections to the northeast of the creek are separated (Interview with Bob Levesque, 2011). Figure 2: Dixie Farmerttes Picking Strawberries Source: Heritage Mississauga from the main waterway by the Applewood Trail, they are well within 3 4 A mixed hardwood riparian forest borders the south-western MICROCLIMATE PRECIPITATION TEMPERATURE edge of the creek near Burnhamthorpe Road and both sides of the creek near Bloor Street. This forest is denser and more

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