Public Notice
Wetland Enhancement at Bank Street and Davidson Road– Public Comments Invited
August 31st, 2021- The National Capital Commission must determine, as lead authority, whether the proposed wetland enhancement, located on lands owned by the National Capital Commission in Ottawa, Ontario, is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.
To help inform this decision, the National Capital Commission is inviting comments from the public on the project and its potential effects on the environment. All comments received will be considered public. For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.
Written comments must be submitted by September 30th, 2021, referencing project name and registry number.
Contact Information
The National Capital Commission
Environmental Assessment
40 Elgin, 5th floor
Ottawa (Ontario) K1P 1C7
IA-EI@ncc-ccn.ca
The National Capital Commission thanks you for your comments, which will be considered in the project determination. Please note that responses may not be provided.
General Inquiries
613-239-5000 or 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free)
TTY: 613-239-5090 or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free)
info@ncc-ccn.ca
www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca
The Proposed Project
As part of the City of Ottawa's Stage 2 Light Rail Transit (LRT) Trillium Line Extension, Transit Next (the LRT design-build contractor) will undertake a project to enhance an existing wetland on NCC owned property at the northeast corner of Bank Street and Davidson Road in the Greenbelt. The Trillium Line Extension required the removal of wetlands to facilitate the construction of the new guideway, stations, and associated infrastructure. These wetland removals occurred between Hunt Club Road and Leitrim Road, along the main Trillium Line north-south alignment and the Airport Link. The wetland enhancement project is intended as partial compensation for these wetland removals, and is subject to NCC Federal Land Use Approval.
The wetland at Bank Street and Davidson Road is located within the NCC Greenbelt's Pine Grove Sector. Based on a review of aerial photography, the project location was used for agriculture until the establishment of the Greenbelt in 1966. After this time, it naturally transitioned from open field to its present condition as a wetland mosaic of marsh and thicket swamp, with a high presence of invasive species including buckthorn and reed canary grass.
The objective of the proposed project is to enhance the existing wetland by increasing the diversity of native plants present, removing invasive species, and increasing habitat quality and opportunities for wildlife while maintaining its existing hydrologic function. The proposed enhancement will consist of activities to remove and control invasive species, followed by planting of native vegetation to set the wetland on a restoration trajectory to become a deciduous treed swamp. This matches with the primary type of wetland that was removed by the Trillium Line construction.
Enhancement activities at the Bank and Davidson wetland will include:
- The removal of reed canary grass. The root system of the grass will be excavated and removed from site, to help prevent regrowth.
- The removal of buckthorn shrubs with cutting and spot herbicide treatment.
- Native tree and shrub planting.
- The design and implementation of water features to provide habitat for wildlife, including reptiles and amphibians.
*Only invasive vegetation will be removed.
After construction, monitoring will be carried out to assess the success of the enhancement. The monitoring will track the establishment of the native plantings, the control of invasive species, and use of the wetland by wildlife, and identify issues requiring corrective action.
The wetland enhancement is being developed in consultation with the National Capital Commission, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Transport Canada, the City of Ottawa, the Ottawa International Airport Authority, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, and South Nation Conservation Authority.
Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2021.
Document Reference Number: 1