Public Notice
Pathway Rehabilitation and Flood Protection North of Westboro Beach – Public Comments Invited
February 15, 2022 – The National Capital Commission must determine whether the proposed Pathway Rehabilitation and Flood Protection North of Westboro Beach, located in Ottawa, Ontario is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects in compliance with sections 81-91 of the Impact Assessment Act and the National Capital Act.
To help inform this determination, the National Capital Commission is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. It is important to note that all comments received will be considered public. For more information, individual should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.
Written comments for this project must be submitted within 30 days of the date of this posting, referencing project name and registry number:
By email: IA-EI@ncc-ccn.ca
By mail: Environmental Officer, Environmental Assessment group
40 Elgin, 5th floor
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1P 1C7
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.
For National Capital Commission general inquiries, please contact:
Email: info@ncc-ccn.ca
Telephone: 613-239-5000 or 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free)
TTY: 613-239-5090 or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free)
The Proposed Project
The recent flooding events in 2017 and 2019 have caused damage to the shorelines along the Ottawa River, threatening assets that rely on them such as pathways. As a result of the recent damage, the National Capital Commission will modify a section of the Sir John A. Macdonald pathway currently below the 20-year floodplain (the elevation on the shoreline which is likely to flood once every 20 years), in order to protect it from further erosion and damage.
This section of pathway, located just north of Westboro Beach, spans a length of approximately 300m. The pathway is a critical pinch-point on the Kichi Sibi Winter Trail, which is an important route used for cross-country skiing and summertime recreation. As the safety of users and trail volunteers and the long-term functionality of the trail are considered at risk, immediate intervention is required.
The National Capital Commission has decided to move a portion of the pathway alignment further away from the river in some locations where there is enough space, and to raise the pathway in other, narrower locations. This design will aim to minimize the amount of fill material required and will maximize the length of pathway close to the Ottawa River to maintain the best user experience during all seasons.
Ultimately, the project objective is to:
• Rehabilitate flood-damaged sections of the pathway and shoreline;
• Improve flood resiliency;
• Raise the elevation of the pathway to the 20-year floodplain which surpasses the minimum criteria in the Ottawa River South Shore Riverfront Park Plan (ORSSRPP) and Capital Pathway Strategic Plan, which call for paths to be above the 20-year floodplain;
• Ensure public safety and optimize the user experience; and
• Ensure continuity of the Kichi Sibi Winter Trail network
The construction plan includes the following components:
• Create a traffic management plan and communicate detours to the public;
• Close the 300m section of the pathway to all users during the summer of 2022; the multi-use pathway closer to the parkway could remain open;
• Remove trees and invasive species in areas where grading work and pathway re-construction work is to be performed;
• Install tree protection measures for trees that need to be preserved;
• Remove the existing asphalt and dispose of it at a recycling facility;
• Remove a small retaining wall and granular material below the asphalt in sections where the pathway is being displaced away from the Ottawa River;
• Replace culverts under new pathway alignment;
• Create a thicker granular base in areas where the pathway is being raised;
• Protect the pathway from erosion using rip-rap (rock fragments); and
• Lay the final layer of asphalt for the new pathway
• Place new soil and plant vegetation along the pathway to re-naturalize and enhance the user experience
• Relocation of existing and/or placement of new benches
With the help of the National Capital Commission's biologists and environmental officers, as well as external environmental consultants and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, the project team will develop a mitigation plan to avoid, reduce or compensate for any environmental effects caused by the project.
Document Reference Number: 1