REALIGNMENT AND NATURALIZATION OF WEST ETOBICOKE CREEK IN MISSISSAUGA , ONTARIO

A section of West Etobicoke Creek in Mississauga, Ontario, was realigned and naturalized as part of flood mitigation works. This channel was previously straightened and installed within a narrow valley corridor resulting in a watercourse with limited morphological variability and floodplain access. Party as a result of the lack of variability in form, the channel was choked with a dense growth of emergent vegetation. A natural channel and corridor design was completed to address flooding concerns related to an upstream stormwater management facility, and to re-establish a relatively natural channel corridor,. To obtain the necessary approval from the reviewing agency, the flooding concerns and potential erosion hazards were addressed, and a net benefit to aquatic and terrestrial habitats was provided. This presentation outlines the design concepts, how each design requirement was met, and the results of monitoring to date.