[URBAN NOTE] "Why Lower Don Flood Protection is a Necessary Cost"

[rfmcdonald]

Torontoist's Andrew Reeves writes about the protection of the lower Don Lands.

The projected cost to protect the 356-hectare Port Lands rose to $1.25 billion last month, part of the massive Waterfront Toronto-led revitalization of the largely industrial lands east of downtown Toronto.

While developing the city’s lakeshore with a host of recreational, industrial, residential, and retail opportunities has taken centre stage in the agency’s efforts to improve Toronto’s strained relationship with its waterfront, protecting large swaths of land from the devastating impacts of flooding has always been a crucial (if subtle) cornerstone of the plan.

But a due diligence report released on October 20 by Waterfront Toronto suggested that more than 283 hectares in the Port Lands, Riverside, Leslieville, and the Unilever site are at risk of flooding from the nearby Don River. What’s more, the land cannot be developed until proper protections are put in place, they argue.

A previous cost estimate put the protection work at $975 million, an estimate that was “less informed” than the latest projection, Waterfront Toronto writes. Now, the agency says the discovery of “flowing sand” and “compressed peat” in the area will require additional environmental risk measures, enhanced erosion control, and previously unaccounted for groundwater and soil treatment.