Was out on the Spit last week and then looked up the web and came across these updates from TRCA. - From December 2023.
https://trca.ca/conservation/infras...-bay-erosion-sediment-control-project/#status
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) completed the perimeter of the Landform structure, effectively isolating it from Lake Ontario, in June 2021.
Since this time, construction crews have been filling the three confinement cells with shale material generated from three City of Toronto tunnel projects and approved third-party sites. Cell filling is now substantially complete with crews currently working on surfacing the cells to address any settling that occurred during compaction and to bring the cells to the final grade in preparation for topsoil placement.
Aerial view of entire landform including completed headlands and cell filling. Source: TRCA, May 08, 2023.
Concurrently with the cell filling operations, crews have been installing erosion control structures along the landform, in the form of armourstone headlands and cobble beaches, to provide long-term shoreline protection.
To date, four headlands have been constructed along the south shoreline of the landform and construction of the final headland at the southwest limit of the landform is currently underway.
In addition to the headlands, an armourstone and rip rap revetment was constructed along the eastern side of the landform which was completed in December 2022.
In July 2023, crews commenced cobble placement on the first of four beaches which will be installed between the headlands. Placement of cobble stone in the first cobble beach has been halted and will be completed in the spring when calmer lake conditions allow for fine placement of material. In the meantime, crews have moved on to the second cobble beach and began placing cobble stone in November of 2023.
Active construction on the Western Headland. Source: TRCA, November 29, 2023. |
Completed construction of Central East Headland. Source: TRCA July 27, 2023. |
Cobble stone placement in the first cobble beach. Source: TRCA, November 29, 2023.
Progress on the two breakwater structures also continues. The East Breakwater located on the southwest portion off Ashbridges Bay Park was substantially completed in December 2020. Construction of the Central Breakwater commenced in January 2021 and will continue through in the new year.
Construction progress of the Central Breakwater. Source: TRCA, August 02, 2023.
Construction of habitat components commenced with the installation of a sunken tree field along the Central Breakwater. Additional habitat features along the Landform and Central Breakwater will be constructed in 2025. These habitat features of the landform will bolster the ecological functions of the area through the addition of both land and aquatic natural habitat, and include:
- 1,790 m2 of restored nearshore habitat.
- 3,690 m2 artificial reef developed to ensure that there will be a net increase in restored fish habitat
Additional benefits to the fisheries include a reduction of wave energy which will make the area near the reef more hospitable to the fish community.
Excavator placing trees in the sunken tree field habitat component. Source: TRCA, November 28, 2023.
trca.ca
