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Resident worries housing development harms creek

August 29, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

A local woman is sounding the alarm about the effects of erosion on Little Monora Creek.

Orangeville resident Judi Island has been a voice at town council meetings in the past and has spoken about the unfavourable environmental impacts of development over the last decade.

Lately, she’s turned her eye to Little Monora Creek and how she believes it has been affected by work to accommodate the construction of a residential subdivision by Edgewood Valley. The subdivision’s second phase is its planning stage.

The subdivision will be located southwest of the Blind Line and Hansen Boulevard intersection, immediately to the west of the Meyer Drive and Mason Street residential area.

Island’s own property backs onto Little Monora Creek.

“I witnessed the deterioration of the Little Monora Creek area including wildlife, vegetation, flooding, sediment and erosion,” Island said.

She recently reached out to town councillors and urged them to support the town’s Sustainable Orangeville committee to address what she believes is an issue.

Councillor Tess Prendergast, the committee’s chairperson, said information from Island has been forwarded to municipal staff to address the problem.

“This summer, we experienced a higher volume than normal of heavy rains, impacting the lower Monora Creek,” Prendergast said. “Town staff are currently working with the developer to assess the situation and find the correct solution.

“We take environmental concerns seriously and, as a committee of council, we continue to do our due diligence by bringing issues like this to those accountable.”

Action needs to be taken to correct existing water issues and to ensure the subdivision continues without harm to natural waterways, she said.

“The proposed Edgewood development must not be allowed to proceed until proper water mitigation is met,” Island said.

Erosion and changes to the watercourse since the construction of the Veterans Way subdivision have caused the loss of mature cedar trees along the stream.

She said an increase in the creek’s volume has changed its course and caused erosion around tree roots. Those trees then fall over and dam the creek.

The construction of a bridge on Hansen Boulevard and the clearcutting of trees to make way for the thoroughfare has wrought significant changes downstream, Island said.

“This has resulted in significant destruction to the Monora Creek Watershed area,” she said. “The increase in the water runoff as a result of clearcutting for the bridge construction began just over a year ago.”

Changes to the topography have caused sedimentation and flooding, Island said.

“The impact on this environmentally sensitive area will be devastating when construction begins in the area directly adjacent to the north side of the stream,” Island said.

Particularly if the developer is permitted to use two small creeks that run through an area known colloquially as The Pit for the development’s drainage, then Island fears the area will be harmed beyond repair.

The existing catchment areas have not provided sufficient water containment during storms, she said. The small catchment behind 159 Elaine Drive built by the developers about 10 years ago, has not functioned for several years.

Island said it’s now so overgrown with thick thatched weeds that the water cannot flow into the catchment.

“This contaminated water has nowhere to go but over the bank, making a swamp area out of the forest floor,” she said. “Some days the odour from the stagnant water in the catchment is unbearable.

“The Elaine catchment replaced (a) natural small pond full of birds, frogs and wildlife.”

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