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Surrounded
by agriculture, golf courses and increasing urban encroachment, Bronte Creek still
has some of the coolest seasonal flows in the GTA. Meandering through regional and
provincial parks, significant forest cover is present along large stretches of the
creek. As with all urban watersheds there is a concern over anthropogenic factors
such as water taking, storm water management, deforestation, and agricultural run
off, which will have significant detrimental effects on water temperature, water turbidity,
base and peak flows. This change to the watershed will undoubtedly affect biotic communities
that inhabit the creek.
Credit
River Anglers Association continues its watershed approach to conservation by looking
west to broker relationships built while still working within the Credit River Watershed.
Working with the Town of Oakville, Conservation Halton, and the MNR, CRAA has planned
works including tree plantings, bank stabilization work, landowner education, temperature
studies and fisheries research including genetic studies of migratory species, with
more possibilities to come.
Recent
examples of Credit River Angler Associations commitment to habitat quality include
representation on Conservation Halton's Watershed Planning Committee and the recently
completed bank stabilization project at Petro Canada Park in Oakville. This project
will soon be followed by a significant tree plant in the spring of 2003 to further
stabilize the bank, and provide shade in an otherwise exposed stretch.
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The
significance of the bank stabilization is two fold. By creating a positive working
relationship with the Town of Oakville, they were able to protect their playing fields,
which were eroding into Lake Ontario, while the structure creates habitat for both
aquatic and terrestrial organisms. This structure is in a visible area so that the
non-fishing community appreciates that erosion and non-existent riparian zones can
have detrimental effects on fish populations.
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Species inhabiting
Bronte Creek include resident wild brown trout and native brook trout (char) populations,
smallmouth bass, carp, wild and hatchery migratory rainbow trout, wild migratory brown
trout, as well as wild and hatchery chinook and coho salmon. Bronte also contains
two provincially vulnerable minnow species, the redside dace and silver shiner.
Petro
Canada Park Project
The
first major rehabilitation initiative done by CRAA on Bronte Creek was the construction
of a tree stump and rock bank stabilizer in the most heavily visited section of the
valley at Petro Canada Park in Oakville. The project was designed by CRAA President
John Kendell and the project was implemented by CRAA members Matt Taggart, Brian Morrison
and John Kendell. A great deal of implementation help was also provided by Brett Lucyk
from the Town of Oakville - Parks and Recreation Department. Brett coordinated a contractor,
delivery of stumps from other sites and assisted in funding the project through the
Parks budget. Permit review was conducted by Warren May, Biologist for the Ministry
of Natural Resources and by Dave Featherstone, biologist for the Halton Region Conservation
Authority.
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The
bend in the river that had the stabilization work completed was cutting into an open
field and park area with no trees or roots to stem the erosion process. After design
consultation of geomorphology principles the inside of the bend and the upper section
were deemed to be in need of stabilization. The lower section was not stabilized to
allow the river to adjust its meander and reduce erosion pressure on the west bank
and valley wall on the opposite side of the river. |
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eroding bank was 2 m in height with a length of 90 m from top to bottom. The eroding
force of the river had cut into the open field approximately 15 m over the past 5
years and had released several hundred cubic metres of silt and soil into the lower
river channel. The river had cut the bank back so it had a vertical slope of 90 degrees
(straight up and down) presenting a danger to park users and exacerbated the erosion
in flood waters. |
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