Meadowcliffe Drive Erosion Control Project
Project Update
January 17, 2013 - Please be advised that Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is currently working towards completing the Meadowcliffe Drive Erosion Control Project. The works completed to date include three armourstone headlands, and two cobble beaches.
The proposed construction works for 2013 include:
• Cobble Beach Protection between Headland 1 and 2
• Completion of the Earth Fill Buttress
• Restoration of Beach East of Bellamy Ravine
• Headland 1
Meadowcliffe Drive Construction Site - May 2012
TRCA continues its commitment to allowing public access to the shoreline service road for recreational purposes on public holidays, weekday evenings (between 5:00 pm and 7:30 am) and weekends (from 4:30 pm on Friday to 7:30 am on Monday). In the interests of public safety access along the main entrance road off of Guildwood Parkway and westerly along the base of the bluffs will be restricted to construction staff and equipment, during hours of work.
For more information on the Meadowcliffe Drive Erosion Control Project please contact:
Mark Preston,
Senior Construction Supervisor
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Phone: 416-392-9722
Email: mpreston@trca.on.ca
Background of Project
At the request of several homeowners who expressed concern over the loss of property and the potential long-term risk to their homes, TRCA began monitoring erosion rates on Meadowcliffe Drive in 1985. Several studies have been completed along this shoreline sector; however the most significant report was a geotechnical report conducted on behalf of TRCA by Terraprobe in 2006. This study concluded there would be a loss of property and infrastructure, as well as a risk to public safety if mitigative measures were not undertaken along the Meadowliffe shoreline sector.
TRCA retained Shoreplan Engineering to complete a coastal analysis to determine the regional processes along the designated project area and assist with the development of alternative long-term solutions to the shoreline erosion. Results of Shoreplan's investigations indicate that over the next 100 years, a substantial loss of land is projected, including many residential dwellings along the crest of the Scarborough Bluffs.
Project Objectives
The key project objective is to provide long-term shoreline protection to reduce the impacts of wave energy, stabilize slopes, enhance natural processes and protect the residential properties on the top of the slope. As a consequence, risk to public safety and infrastructure will be reduced, passive recreational opportunities will be increased, aquatic and terrestrial habitat conditions as well as aesthetics will be improved. TRCA has examined a number of alternatives to achieve these objectives including headland beach systems, revetments and improving internal/surface drainage.
Planning Mechanism for the Undertaking
TRCA must conduct its remedial flood and erosion control projects in accordance with the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). Recognizing that common elements exist in addressing flood and erosion problems, a coordinated approach to environmental assessment was developed by Conservation Ontario for all conservation authorities known as the Class Environmental Assessment for Remedial Flood and Erosion Control Projects (Class EA). As part of the Class EA process, TRCA has documented the decision making process and the value judgments made in selecting the preferred course of action in an Environmental Study Report, including description of alternative designs for the undertaking and detailing potential effects of the project. The Environmental Study Report for the Meadowcliffe Drive Erosion Control Project is available below for the public to review and comment:
Meadowcliffe Environmental Study Report (5.4MB 
)
Meadowcliffe Environmental Study Report - Appendices (29.9MB )
TRCA submitted the Environmental Study Report in support of the Meadowcliffe Drive Erosion Control Project for approval by the Ministry of the Environment under subsection 7(1) of the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) on March 4, 2010.
In addition to the Class EA process, TRCA recognizes that the Meadowcliffe Drive Erosion Control Project will require an environmental screening under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). CEAA will be triggered in response to the potential environmental impacts that the project will produce pursuant to subsection 35(2) under the federal Fisheries Act and section 5(1) of the federal Navigable Waters Protection Act. Under CEAA, Department of Fisheries and Oceans has been identified as the Responsible Authority and it is expected that other federal departments such as Transport Canada, Environment Canada, Heritage Canada and Health Canada will participate as Expert Authorities to determine whether the impacts of the project are likely to cause significant environmental effects, taking into account mitigation measures.
Public and Agency Consultation
The Class EA process provides that all views respecting a proposed remedial flood or erosion control project be taken into consideration during the planning and design of remedial flood and erosion control projects. The formation of a Community Liaison Committee (CLC) has allowed concerned citizens, local interest groups and non governmental organizations to voice issues of public concern as well as assisted in the planning and design process of the project.
Through a series of CLC meetings, a range of alternative options were considered, which included traditional solutions such as cobble beaches and breakwaters. In addition to providing feedback on technical and economic considerations, the members provided great insight into the importance of preserving the Scarborough Bluffs. The CLC assisted with selection of a preferred alternative.
The Project
The preferred solution determined through the Class EA process is a shoreline treatment consisting of cobble beach anchored by a series of parallel headlands which will protect 600 metres (m) of eroding bluff below Meadowcliffe Drive. These headlands will be constructed with large (3-5 tonne) armour stones, measuring between 80 to 100 m in length and spaced 100 to 150 m apart. The area between the headlands will consist of rubble material covered with a layer of beach cobble. The beach cobbles will be dynamically stable, and the profile shape will adjust to different wave conditions and water levels over time. The preferred solution also considers the potential need for a buttress at the base of the bluffs at the east end of the shoreline sector to reduce slope recession.
Capital funding for the proposed works has been identified in TRCA's 2010 - 2014 budget. Given the nature of coastal interventions over the past 50 years across North America, TRCA anticipates that an adaptive management approach will be necessary, to allow modifications to the overall design based on continued monitoring and evaluation of the built structures, shoreline and slope recession.
For more information, please contact Laura Stephenson, Project Manager at (416) 661-6600 ext. 5296 or lstephenson@trca.on.ca.
