Rowe Channel Upgrade Study Environmental Assessment

The Town, in partnership with Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA), has started a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Study to identify possible improvements to Rowe Channel. The channel is located between Lake Ontario and the Whitby GO Station.

The channel drains surface runoff from three main areas into Lake Ontario:

• The residential area north of Highway 401
• Whitby GO Station
• Nearby areas south of Victoria Street West.

The channel is made of concrete or lined with gabion baskets. Gabion baskets are wire cages that contain rocks that prevent erosion (see photo). The wire in the gabion baskets is starting to fail because of old age. If the baskets are allowed to break, the rocks will fall into the channel. The channel will not be able to properly convey water and flooding may occur. Soil and invasive vegetation (phragmites or reed grass) have also built up in the channel over time, further reducing its ability to properly drain surface water to Lake Ontario.

The study will identify and evaluate a range of design options to decrease both the risk of flooding and the Town’s costs to maintain the channel. The options include but are not limited to full or partial channel replacement with pipes, an open channel with armour stone, a combination of piped flow & overland flow and upstream flow diversion. The study will also identify opportunities to improve the look of the channel and reduce the presence of invasive species.