Lakeview Waterfront Connection EA Public Information Centre Development and Evaluation of Alternatives January 22, 2013
Meeting Agenda 1. Welcome 2. Meeting Purpose 3. EA Status 4. Developing Alternative Project Configurations 5. Project Alternatives 6. Evaluating Alternative Project Configurations 7. Wrap up
Meeting Purpose • To provide status update on EA and outline Next Steps • To seek your thoughts and comments on: • LWC Alternative Project Configurations • How Alternatives were developed • Approach to comparative evaluation • Comparative evaluation criteria
EA Status and Schedule • EA ToR received approval December 5 2012 • No conditions of approval • EA Notice of Commencement published January 2 and 3 rd , 2013 • Public Information Centres • January 22 nd - Alternatives and Evaluation Criteria • Early April – Preferred Alternative and Effects Assessment • Early June – Draft Final EA prior to submission to MOE • Target date for submission of Draft EA – June 28 2013
LWC Goal and Objectives Goal: to create a new natural park that will establish ecological habitat and public linkages on the eastern Mississauga waterfront. Objectives: • Naturalization • Access • Fiscal Viability • Compatibility • Coordination
Revised Project Study Area Expanded to connect to eastern pier
LWC Framework to Identify and Evaluate Alternative Project Configurations • Step 1 – Determine Alternative Footprints Developing the Alternatives • Step 2 – Identify Desired Design Elements • Step 3 – Compare and Evaluate Short List Selecting Preferred of Alternatives Alternative • Step 4 – Confirm, Refine and Undertake Detailing Preferred Detailed Assessment of Preferred Alternative Alternative
Step 1 - Determine Footprints Alternative footprints were created using the following Coastal Engineering assumptions: • Different shoreline types produce different footprint sizes and shapes, and opportunities • Aligned perpendicular to wave energy (from the east) • Proposed beaches consist of 8” diameter cobbles • Use up to ~ 2.0 million cubic metres of fill • Include sub-options to extend to OPG’s eastern pier • Do not impair regional water quality
Shoreline Type Reference Images • Revetment • Embayment
Shoreline Type Reference Images • • Cobble Beach with Headlands • Beach transitioning from sand to cobble
Step 2 – Identify Desired Design Elements What elements were considered for each “footprint”? •Multi–use trails to and along the waterfront •Improved access to the water •Create naturalized habitat: streams, wetlands, forests, meadows, shorelines •Improved aesthetics with respect to providing vistas and buffering the view to the WWTF •Improved passive recreation opportunities
Ecological Building Blocks How did we decide what types of habitat should be included? • Explored opportunities to daylight and connect Serson Creek • Similar reference sites on Lake Ontario and historic conditions • Compensation for aquatic habitat lost from land creation and consideration of nearshore habitat objectives • Terrestrial habitat large enough and appropriately aligned to provide wildlife refuge and migratory stop-over functions • Diversity of habitat types and connections to other habitats • Need for varied topography • Creating visual barrier to the WWTF • Providing views to and from site
Building Blocks - Serson Creek • Options • Leave “as is” - any potential change would be part of Inspiration Lakeview • Connect baseflows to storm channel to create immediate fish access from Lake to upstream • This is a potential sub-option for all alternatives
Target Wetland Habitats for LWC EA Wetland Type Characteristics Examples River Levee • Water levels and fluvial processes and Lagoon controlled by coastal processes due to System backwatering • Creek mouth directly connected to lake - levees line channel such that during high flow water would overtop levees and flood wetlands Barrier Beach • Wetlands form behind sand barrier Coastal • Water levels influenced by discharge from Wetland upland area and lake levels • Reduced mixing with lake water and limited influence of coastal processes • Sand barrier can be removed through high flows and reformed during flow conditions by wave action in the lake NOTE: These wetland types are not necessarily mutually exclusive
Design Parameters for Wetland Habitats • Optimal total wetland area ~ 7 ha (reference wetlands ranged in size from 3 ha to 10 ha) • Wetlands connected to: Applewood Creek, and Serson Creek (both outlets) • Wetlands able to accommodate possible realignment of Serson Creek suggested in vision from Inspiration Lakeview • Diverting Applewood Creek westward ensures river inputs to proposed wetland east of G.E Booth. • Wetland connections to Lake Ontario are aligned with sheltered shoreline areas (not through the headlands).
Wetland Habitat Reference Images • Meadow Marsh (wet meadows) • Coastal Marsh
Target Terrestrial Habitat for LWC EA Habitat Characteristics Potential Locations Type Meadow • found naturally along shorelines due to • directly along shoreline disturbances and harsh lake exposures • adjacent to existing berm on • important bird habitat for breeding, resting and WWTF site launch • next to trails and vista points Forest • rest and launch spot for birds • set back from shore behind meadow blocks • vegetation similar to what is usually found along similar shorelines: cottonwood, willows, and • create connections to existing poplars treed area at Serson and Applewood • mix of tree and shrub heights • variety of plants tolerant to exposed coastal conditions and attractive to birds and wildlife
Design Parameters for Terrestrial Habitat • Meadow • Recommended minimum size 10 ha to provide desired ecological functions • Native species • Multi-use trail will be sited through meadow • Located between forest and water’s edge • Forest • Recommended minimum size 4 ha to provide wildlife refuge functions • Native species i.e. cottonwood • Located between treed swamp and meadow but should not block views from former OPG site to lake • Treed Swamp • Located along fence line of WWTF to provide physical and visual barrier between LWC and WWTF
Terrestrial Habitat Reference Images • Forest • Upland Meadow
Terrestrial Habitat Reference Images • Treed Swamp
Building Blocks - Recreation • Tiered trail system • Multi-use trail reconnects waterfront trail to the water and provide potential connections between waterfront parks in the east and west • Secondary trails (may be seasonal) may permit viewing of natural areas • Ensure human access doesn’t negatively affect natural areas • Lookouts from LWC back to City • Provide access to the water’s edge • Passive recreation: birding, fishing, picnicking, etc. • Public safety: shoreline, isolated features, etc.
Revetment
Headland Beach
Island Beach A
Island Beach B
Island Beach C • Alternative extends across beach at Marie Curtis Park to Etobicoke Creek
LWC Comparative Evaluation of Alternatives • Alternatives compared using evaluation criteria and indicators to determine greatest potential to meet the LWC Project Goal and Objectives (Step 3) • Assumptions made with respect to how project will be constructed to facilitate evaluation – no difference between alternatives • Evaluation will identify preferred alternative to be developed in more detail
LWC Comparative Evaluation • Analysis by indicator presented in an evaluation matrix • For each indicator, alternatives will receive qualitative scores of ‘least preferred’, ‘moderately preferred,’ or ‘most preferred’ • Objectives, criteria and indicators considered to be equally important – no weighting • All criteria and indicators focused on measuring the differences between alternatives • Criteria and indicators reflect information presented for the alternatives. • Public and agency input sought on comparative evaluation
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