Etobicoke Creek Watershed Plan

Approval of the
Etobicoke Creek Watershed Plan 2024-2034

Posted December 6, 2024

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is pleased to announce that the Etobicoke Creek Watershed Plan (ECWP) 2024-2034 was approved by TRCA’s Board of Directors on November 22, 2024, and implementation of the watershed plan will now begin.

Prior to approval by TRCA’s Board of Directors, the ECWP was adopted/endorsed by partner municipalities within the watershed, including the City of Toronto on April 17, 2024, the City of Mississauga on April 17, 2024, the Region of Peel on June 13, 2024, the City of Brampton on September 11, 2024, and the Town of Caledon on October 22, 2024.

The development of the ECWP was a collaborative effort between these partner municipalities, TRCA, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.

Additional First Nations and Indigenous communities, as well as watershed stakeholders, residents, and members of the public were engaged throughout the process.

The new watershed plan outlines current and potential future watershed conditions and identifies the priority actions needed to protect, enhance, and restore the health of the Etobicoke Creek watershed and improve community well-being over the long term.

The actions in the plan will also help to build resiliency to land use and climate changes and inform decision making in the watershed.

The ECWP will be in effect for 10 years from 2024-2034. A comprehensive, coordinated, and collaborative approach to implementing, tracking, and reporting on all aspects of the watershed plan will be essential to fully realize the vision for the watershed.

An Implementation Steering Committee consisting of the same partners noted above will be established in 2025 to guide and support implementation.

We will work together to achieve the shared commitments outlined in the plan and to demonstrate accountability towards improving watershed health and building safer communities. As ECWP implementation progresses, regular updates will be provided on this project webpage.

You can explore the online, interactive Etobicoke Creek Watershed Plan and a map viewer with useful mapping layers (and priority areas) on our new Watershed Planning Hub.

EXPLORE THE PLANNING HUB NOW

Two additional engagement summaries have been completed outlining all recent watershed plan engagement:

  • Engagement Summary 3 summarizes ECWP engagement activities from August 2022 to March 2024 (including comments received on the draft ECWP, TRCA responses, and a summary of the key changes made to the ECWP based on feedback).
  • Engagement Summary 4 summarizes engagement activities from the end of March to December 2024 (including details about ECWP endorsements/approvals).

If you have any questions about the ECWP or its implementation, please email us at etobicoke@trca.ca.


PLEASE NOTE: The Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 (PPS 2024) came into effect on October 20, 2024. The PPS 2024 is a province-wide land use planning policy framework that replaces the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020 and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2019. The PPS 2024, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, 2017, and the Greenbelt Plan, 2017, contain policies on watershed planning. For example, provincial policy encourages municipalities, and requires large and fast-growing municipalities (including the City of Toronto, City of Mississauga, City of Brampton, and Town of Caledon), to undertake watershed planning to inform certain municipal decisions, such as those related to planning for servicing, stormwater management, and the protection, improvement, or restoration of the quality and quantity of water. Municipalities undertaking watershed planning are encouraged to collaborate with conservation authorities.

The PPS 2024 was released at the end of the endorsement/approval process for the ECWP and does not necessitate changes to the ECWP or the ECWP management framework.

Project Background

The development of the Etobicoke Creek Watershed Plan (ECWP) was a collaborative effort between Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, City of Toronto, Region of Peel, City of Mississauga, City of Brampton, and Town of Caledon.

Engagement with First Nations and Indigenous communities, as well as with watershed stakeholders, residents, and members of the public occurred throughout the watershed planning process to increase awareness of watershed planning and obtain input on the components of the watershed plan.

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Where is the Etobicoke Creek Watershed?

Etobicoke Creek

The Etobicoke Creek watershed is at the western end of TRCA’s jurisdiction and is heavily urbanized.

Select image below to view full-sized map.

map of Etobicoke Creek watershed

Watershed Vision

Etobicoke Creek watershed is protected and restored to a cleaner, healthier, and more natural state, to sustain its waterways, ecosystems, and human communities.

In the fall of 2020, TRCA engaged local stakeholders and residents on what they would like to see in a watershed vision, using an online survey. Variations of a vision based on these results were presented to the Steering Committee, consisting of the municipalities within the watershed, TRCA, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.

This vision for Etobicoke Creek watershed reflects survey feedback and was agreed to by Steering Committee members.

Etobicoke Creek Watershed Planning Process

Healthy watersheds provide numerous ecosystems services, such as supporting biodiversity, providing clean drinking water, reducing flood and erosion hazards, protecting the quality and quantity of water, and improving climate resiliency.

Watershed planning provides a systematic and comprehensive framework for ensuring healthy watersheds, and integrates natural systems into land use and infrastructure decision-making as well as climate adaptation planning. It helps identify natural features and areas to protect and develop mitigation measures to minimize the impacts of various land use types and climate change.

Watershed planning is typically carried out to characterize current and potential future watershed conditions (i.e., health of the watershed), and to identify measures to protect, enhance, and restore the health of the watershed and build resiliency to land use and climate changes.

Watershed planning does not make land use and infrastructure planning decisions. Rather, it is intended to help municipalities make informed decisions on where and how to grow in a way that minimizes and/or mitigates impacts to watershed health.

Watershed plans also help to inform various other TRCA and municipal initiatives, including ecosystem restoration and management, land management/acquisition, best practices for rural land uses, low impact development and green infrastructure implementation, and climate adaptation.

The last watershed plan for Etobicoke Creek was completed in 2002. An update of implementation priorities, incorporating new information, was completed in 2010.

Our FAQ document provides additional information about the watershed planning process for the Etobicoke Creek watershed.

PROJECT TIMELINE

  blue checkmark in green circle   Watershed Characterization: 2020-2021

PURPOSE: Identifies the current conditions of the watershed (i.e. habitat and water quality, flooding and erosion issues).

Watershed Characterization Key Findings

WATER RESOURCE SYSTEM:
Includes aquatic habitat, in-stream barriers, groundwater conditions, etc.

  • Among larger watersheds in TRCA’s jurisdiction (i.e. >200 km2), Etobicoke Creek has the second highest annual runoff at 402 mm/year, second only to the Don River.
  • The average habitat health rating for fish is “fair” and for benthic communities is “poor”. There has been little to no change in aquatic habitat quality since 2002.
  • There are a large number of in-stream barriers that prevent the movement of species and only approximately 49.6% natural cover within the riparian corridor (i.e. within 30 metres of streams).

NATURAL HERITAGE SYSTEM/URBAN FOREST:
Includes habitat quantity and quality, tree canopy, sensitive species, etc.

  • Approximately 11.7% of the watershed consists of natural cover (not including water), which is similar to other heavily urbanized watersheds, with natural cover continuing to decrease (e.g. forest cover).
  • Generally, habitat quality is poor with some fair quality habitat in the headwaters, but the watershed still supports regional biodiversity including some sensitive plant and animal species, primarily in the headwaters.
  • Approximately 39% and 18% of the watershed is a priority for regional and local connectivity among habitat patches, respectively.
  • Existing natural cover is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change in urban areas.
  • Urban forest canopy cover (i.e. trees and tall shrubs) is 14.7% and has remained stable from 2009 to 2018.

WATER QUALITY:
Includes parameters of concern relative to Provincial Water Quality Objectives (PWQO) or Canadian Water Quality Guideline (CWQG).

  • Surface water quality is generally poor compared to other TRCA watersheds. Contaminants of particular concern include:
    • Chlorides (e.g. from road salts)
    • Phosphorus (e.g. from fertilizers)
    • E. coli bacteria (e.g. from sewage/animal wastes)
    • Metals such as copper and zinc (e.g. from industrial sources and/or roadways)
  • Exceedances of chlorides and nitrates in groundwater were observed.

NATURAL HAZARDS:
Includes flooding and erosion.

  • There are six flood vulnerable clusters (FVCs) with a total area of 508 hectares (ha).
  • Most of the watershed can be categorized as medium or high erosion sensitivity.

Land Use in Etobicoke Creek Watershed: 2002-2019

2002
(area % and ha)
2012
(area % and ha)
2002–2012
(% change)
2019
(area % and ha)
2012–2019
(% change)
Urban 53% (11,969 ha) 56% (12,636 ha) +6% 60% (13,222 ha) +5%
Rural* 33% (7,280 ha) 31% (6,916 ha) -5% 28% (6,328 ha) -9%
Natural 14% (3,156 ha) 13% (2,853 ha) -10% 12% (2,755 ha) -3%
Impervious Cover** 43% (9,765 ha) 46% (10,374 ha) +6% 48% (10,856 ha) +5%

*Rural includes land use classifications such as agriculture, golf courses, open space, hydro corridors, etc. These types of land uses cannot be considered natural, nor can they be considered urban as they still have low amounts of impervious surfaces.

**i.e. hard surfaces

Select image below to view full-sized land use map.

land use map shows the increasing urbanization of the Etobicoke Creek watershed from 2012 to 2019

READ THE FULL WATERSHED CHARACTERIZATION REPORT

 

  blue checkmark in green circle   Future Management Scenarios: 2021-2022

PURPOSE: Examines different potential future management scenarios to understand how watershed conditions may change.

Four potential future management scenarios assessed the impacts of different land uses and different levels of watershed enhancements (e.g. improvements to stormwater management, increased natural cover, and increased urban forest canopy), as well as the impacts of climate change:

  • Scenario 1: Urban Expansion with Minimal Enhancements – Further urbanization in the Headwaters with no enhancements to natural cover and stormwater management.
  • Scenario 2: Urban Expansion with Mid-Range Enhancements – Further urbanization in the Headwaters with moderate enhancements to natural cover and stormwater management.
  • Scenario 3: Urban Expansion with Optimal Enhancements – Further urbanization in the Headwaters with optimal enhancements to natural cover and stormwater management.
  • Scenario 4: Existing Urban Boundary with Optimal Enhancements – Current urban boundary is maintained with optimal enhancements to natural cover and stormwater management.

Scenario analysis does not result in decisions about the type and configuration of land uses. Instead, scenario analysis helps to inform municipal planning decisions.

Future Management Scenario Analysis Process

a diagram illustrating the process TRCA has used to examine potential future land use scenarios for the Etobicoke Creek Watershed

Future Management Scenarios: Key Findings

WATER RESOURCE SYSTEM
Includes aquatic habitat, in-stream barriers, groundwater conditions, etc.

  • Aquatic habitat quality will decrease as impervious surface amounts increase (and will likely become non-supporting if effective impervious cover exceeds 25%).
  • With increasing urbanization, more sensitive fish species will be replaced with species more tolerant of disturbance, and benthic communities will shift towards more pollution tolerant species.
  • With natural cover enhancements, the number of coolwater, coldwater, and stable temperature stream reaches could increase and make the system more resilient to climate change.
  • Groundwater discharge and recharge will be negatively affected in the headwaters without enhancements to natural cover, urban forest, stormwater management, and LID implementation.

NATURAL HERITAGE SYSTEM/URBAN FOREST
Includes habitat quantity and quality, tree canopy, sensitive species, etc.

  • Even with optimal natural cover enhancements, this watershed remains below recommended federal guidelines for natural cover quantity and TRCA’s terrestrial NHS target, but any increase will provide a benefit to biodiversity and other ecosystem services.
  • There are opportunities to increase the quantity and quality of the urban forest to improve ecosystem functions, provide ecosystems goods and services, increase climate resiliency, and provide socio-economic benefits.

WATER QUALITY
Focused on total suspended solids and chlorides.

  • Changes in water quality parameters (e.g., Total Suspended Solids and chlorides) demonstrate the negative impact of urbanization and the benefits of improved stormwater management and natural cover enhancements in a changing climate.

NATURAL HAZARDS
Includes flooding and erosion.

  • Increasing enhancements to natural cover and stormwater management help reduce peak flow levels, though not as effectively when considering climate change.
  • Land use changes can manage peak flows for all design storms through enhancements and interventions (if TRCA’s stormwater management quantity criteria for the Etobicoke Creek Headwaters is applied), but climate change will cause peak flows to exceed current stormwater infrastructure design standards.
  • Increasing natural cover and enhancing stormwater management help mitigate erosion, which would otherwise increase with further urbanization.

READ THE FUTURE MANAGEMENT SCENARIO ANALYSIS REPORT

 

  blue checkmark in green circle   Implementation Planning: 2022-2024

PURPOSE: Identifies measures to protect, enhance, and restore watershed health based on results from the Watershed Characterization and Future Management Scenarios stages and on engagement input.

This stage involved the development of a management framework with three goals, eight objectives, 10 indicators, and 36 management actions outlining how to protect, enhance, and restore watershed health.

Select the image below to download a copy of the management framework.

a chart representing the management framework for the Etobicoke Creek Watershed Plan

The management framework is designed to address existing watershed issues and mitigate impacts from potential future land uses and climate change.

The management framework is focused on:

  • Achieving more sustainable land use and infrastructure development patterns through the use of low impact development and green infrastructure, improved stormwater management, mitigating flood and erosion risk, and improving rural land stewardship.
  • Protecting, enhancing, and restoring the Water Resource System and improving aquatic habitat connectivity.
  • Protecting, enhancing, and restoring the Natural Heritage System and increasing urban forest cover.
Management Framework Components Description
Goals Represent the outcome to achieve.
Objectives Are the specific statements about desired results, or steps to be undertaken, to achieve the goal.
Indicators Explain how progress on implementing the objectives is going to be tracked or measured.
Management Actions Specifically explain what needs to be done, and by what partner, to accomplish the relevant objective.

An inventory, monitoring, and evaluation program was also developed to help track implementation progress, evaluate and report on whether watershed conditions are improving, and ensure mechanisms are in place to adjust and adapt approaches as needed.

The ECWP was approved by TRCA’s Board of Directors on November 22, 2024 and was adopted/endorsed by all of our municipal partners, and implementation will now begin.

The ECWP will be in effect for 10 years from 2024-2034. A comprehensive, coordinated, and collaborative approach to implementing, tracking, and reporting on all aspects of the watershed plan will be essential to fully realize the vision for the watershed and to improve watershed health and ensure sustainability of its ecosystem services for current and future generations.

An Implementation Steering Committee consisting of TRCA, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, and our municipal partners will be established in 2025 to guide and support implementation, and will be facilitated by TRCA.

The Implementation Steering Committee will work together to achieve the shared commitments outlined in the plan and to demonstrate accountability towards improving watershed health and building safer communities.

Through the implementation of the Etobicoke Creek Watershed Plan, all watershed partners and stakeholders can contribute to a healthier, more sustainable, and more resilient watershed that can provide long-term benefits to all residents.

 

  blue checkmark in green circle   Endorsements and Approvals: 2024

The ECWP 2024-2034 was approved by TRCA’s Board of Directors on November 22, 2024.

Prior to approval by TRCA’s Board of Directors, the ECWP was adopted/endorsed by all of our municipal partners, including:

  • City of Toronto – April 17, 2024
  • City of Mississauga – April 17, 2024
  • Region of Peel – June 13, 2024
  • City of Brampton – September 11, 2024
  • Town of Caledon – October 22, 2024

Further details about the endorsements/approvals for the ECWP are provided in the Engagement Summary 4 document.

 

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the ECWP or its implementation, please email us at etobicoke@trca.ca