Open house on waterway work
Meeting tonight at TASSS on Nassau Guard Gate, Peterborough Earth Dam projects
Citizens can learn more about construction set to begin in November as part of the Nassau Guard Gate and Peterborough Earth Dam projects during a Wednesday open house at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School.
Parks Canada is advancing to the construction phase of the projects, which aim to strengthen key infrastructure and further reduce the risk of flood damage along the Trent-Severn Waterway canal corridor through Peterborough, officials said.
The work is expected to continue until spring of 2019.
Much of the canal through the city contains engineered earthfill dams, which are vital for flood mitigation and the safety of visitors, residents and property, officials said, adding how as engineered structures, they require regular maintenance and occasional repair.
Since November 2015, Parks Canada has been removing the vegetation from along the embankments as a protection measure and to prepare for major repairs, officials said.
To fix and strengthen the earthen dams, washouts will be repaired, dam height will be increased where necessary and remaining vegetation will be replaced with “more appropriate” erosion protection and vegetative cover, officials said.
The outside contractor that will soon be hired to do the work will use heavy machinery, where necessary, to undertake the repairs and as a result, area residents could hear construction-related noise and traffic, officials stated.
Work will include the east and west dams at Curtis Creek, Hurdons Dam and Thompson’s Bay Dam, all in the city of Peterborough.
The Nassau Guard Gate project will see the installation of gates north of Nassau Mills Road as well as an earthen berm that closely following the contours of the road. The existing 70-year-old gate at the top of the Otonabee River is inoperable, officials said.
The new guard will be used in the case of major flooding and would redirect water to the Otonabee River to the west, rather than the more-vulnerable canal cut to the east. While the gates will also be closed in winter as a preventative measure, a built-in bypass will enable some water flow to maintain familiar levels in the Trent Canal from Thompsons Bay to the gates north of Parkhill Road, officials said.
Public safety is a priority and the investments are an integral part of flood mitigation for the community, Parks Canada stated.
Officials did not indicate the specific cost of the work in the notice, but the federal government announced $270 million in infrastructure funding in June 2016.
As part of the work, the federal government agency will also improve the trails at the sites and work with the city to incorporate them into the municipal network, officials said.
The open house takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at TASSS at 1009 Armour Rd. and will include presentations on both projects, an opportunity to ask questions and then time to meet Parks Canada staff for information discussions.
For more information about the Parks Canada infrastructure projects in the Peterborough area, such as the Scotts Mills Dam replacement, Maria Street Swing Bridge rehabilitation or Nassau Lock 22 concrete repairs, visit www.pc.gc.ca/ tswPeterborough.
For more information or email updates regarding projects in the Peterborough area, email ont. trentsevern@pc.gc.ca and include “Peterborough” in the subject heading.