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Humber River Watershed Projects & Plans

TRCA and its partners are involved in many projects in the Humber River watershed, such as the restoration of the 428 hectare (1,057 acre) Oak Ridges Corridor Park in the Town of Richmond Hill, operates recreation areas and educational centres, as well as guiding various conservation and watershed management operations.

What's New in the Humber River Watershed

Oak Ridges Corridor Park

In Richmond Hill the Oak Ridges Moraine narrows to a pinch-point at Yonge Street, surrounded by encroaching urban development. To protect this environmentally sensitive area, an agreement was reached in 2004, whereby privately-owned Moraine land was swapped for provincially owned land in Pickering to establish the 1,057-acre Corridor Park.

Learn more about Oak Ridges Corridor Park

Vision

"The Oak Ridges Corridor Park will be a sanctuary for nature and an essential ecological linkage on the Oak Ridges Moraine where visitors can learn about ecosystem features and functions, wildlife and human influences, and enjoy activities that are compatible with natural and cultural values of the park."

Corridor Park Statistics and Highlights

  • Corridor Park comprises an are of 428 hectares (1,057 acres)
  • The park includes a five kilometer trail running east-west
  • Oak Ridges Community Centre proposed at Lake Wilcox
  • Four heritage buildings within the Park will be available to the public
  • Existing natural forests, lakes and wetlands will be fully protected
  • 135 hectares of land have been proposed for reforestation within the first 5 years
  • The area includes the Bathurst Glen Golf Course (100 acres), a TRCA operated property

Significant Natural Features

  • Area of Natural and Scientific Interest
  • Environmentally Sensitive Area
  • Has been a site of Human settlement for thousands of years
  • Corridor Park includes many species of Concern and Species at Risk

In August 2006 a Management Plan for the Oak Ridges Corridor Park was approved which will protect the headwaters of two watersheds (Humber and Rouge) and the natural features of the area. A 5 km long spine trail runs from east to west through the Park.

Urban Agriculture Initiatives

Promoting sustainable communities is one of the tasks of the Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA).  This means working with partners and involvement in agricultural projects.  A new sustainable near-urban agriculture policy was adopted in September 2008 which complements TRCA's Sustainable Communities objective.

Heritage Initiatives

TRCA is planning cultural and heritage initiatives to complement the Humber  River's designation as a Canadian Heritage River. These will include a book about the Humber and an inventory of the bridges in the Humber Watershed.

Public Lands in Caledon, King and Vaughan.

Management plans for two areas owned by the TRCA are currently in development. These properties include the 812 acre Bolton Resource Management Tract in the Town of Caledon and the 720 acre Nashville Resource Management Tract in the Township of King and the City of Vaughan.

Humber Watershed Management

Since the publication of Legacy: A Strategy for a Healthy Humber in 1997, monitoring, research and information sharing have provided a stronger scientific foundation and better understanding of the effects of human actions on Humber Watershed ecosystem. With this new information, we can now update our watershed management strategies.

Our management planning will also incorporate other recent policy and planning initiatives, such as the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Clean Water Act, City of Toronto's Wet Weather Flow Management Master Plan, and a number of stormwater retrofit studies for other municipalities.

Environmental Restoration Projects

Restoration projects are underway or completed at the following locations in Vaughan, Brampton, King, Richmond Hill and Toronto:

  • Claireville Conservation Area
  • Black Creek Project
  • Implementation of the Boyd North Conservation Area Management Plan
  • Bolton Community Action Site (i.e., trails, heritage appreciation, planting, in-stream barrier removal)
  • Palgrave Community Action Site
  • Caledon East Community Action Site
  • Eglinton Flats
  • Eaton Hall

Humber River Watershed Report Card

In 2000 the Humber Watershed Alliance produced a report card, grading a range of watershed conditions from A to F.  In 2007 a second report card,  Listen to Your River: A Report Card on the Health of the Humber River Watershed, was published assessing progress to that point.

Learn more about Oak Ridges Corridor Park:Corridor Park, the last remaining natural link between the eastern and western parts of the Oak Ridges Moraine will remain a nature sanctuary. It includes two kettle lakes, wetlands and forest: diverse habitats which are home to many wildlife and plant species.

Corridor Park is located between Bathurst Street and Bayview Avenue, between the community of Oak Ridges and Jefferson Sideroad. The property includes the Bathurst Glen Golf Course.