Work continues to improve Mad River banks
The heavy equipment will be back at Carruthers Memorial Park in Avening this summer, to continue rehabilitation of the Mad River.
At the recent Friends of the Mad River (FOMR) annual general meeting, Laura Wensink of the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) said the $50,000 bank stabilization project at the park which spanned 2023 and 2024 is now complete. That work saw installation of a wall of large boulders topped with pockets of plant material along an 80 metre stretch of shoreline, adjacent to the park access road. The next phase is construction of a secondary side channel.
Wensink told the meeting that a study by GeoMorphix Ltd. determined that the natural form of the river between the Noisy River confluence and Avening naturally takes the form of a wandering channel.
“Typically, there would be one, two or three channels separated by islands,” she said. “This dynamically stable river form creates a diversity of habitat, including areas for juvenile from historical straightening, impairing this natural channel form.”
Draft designs for reestablishing a side channel at Carruthers Park were presented. It is estimated the work will cost roughly $34,000. The NVCA has secured the first $9,000 and hopes to garner another $2,000 from a proposed Bass Pro Outdoor Fund and a $3,000 grant from the Clearview Community Foundation. The balance will come from fund raising, including $5,000 raised last year through a benefit concert and t-shirt sales.
Last fall, a group of 75 volunteers planted 675 native trees and shrubs along the river. Volunteers will be back at Carruthers Park April 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. for a spring tree planting.
NVCA’s Flood Forecast System measures snow load and alerts about flooding and ice jamming. At this time, it is hoped that gradual warming and precipitation will allow for a controlled melt, keeping flood risk low and water levels manageable. However, as conditions can change rapidly, residents are urged to remain proactive by watching for flood messages on websites or social media.
