Durham Regional Council Endorses the Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan

June 25, 2021, Toronto, ON – Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is pleased to announce that Durham Regional Council endorsed the updated Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan at their June 23, 2021 meeting.

The Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan will now be presented to the TRCA Board of Directors in September for final approval.

Updated Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan

The purpose of a watershed plan is to understand the current conditions of the watershed, and identify measures to protect, enhance, and restore the health of the watershed.

Ontario’s provincial planning framework and the Regional Official Plan recognize that watershed planning is important to informing land use and infrastructure planning decisions.

The development of the Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan was initiated in 2015.

The first phase of plan development (2015 to 2017) focused on the characterization of existing watershed conditions and resulted in seven peer reviewed technical reports.

The second phase of plan development (2018 to 2021) focused on land use scenario modelling, additional peer reviewed technical reports, the development of a management framework, and public consultation on the draft watershed plan.

The draft Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan was released in March 2020 for public review. The COVID-19 pandemic extended the public review until March 2021.

TRCA received 27 submissions on the draft Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan. The updated watershed plan reflects feedback received during public review of the draft plan.

aerial view of Carruthers Creek watershed

The development of this watershed plan was a collaborative effort between TRCA, the Region of Durham, City of Pickering, and Town of Ajax. TRCA would like to thank all stakeholders and members of the public that have contributed input and helped shape the Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan.

The Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan provides a path forward for achieving sustainable land use and infrastructure planning and a healthy watershed.

Please visit the project webpage to learn more about the Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan.

About Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
With more than 60 years of experience, TRCA is the largest of 36 Conservation Authorities in Ontario, created to safeguard and enhance the health and well-being of watershed communities through the protection and restoration of the natural environment and the ecological services the environment provides. Well over ten percent of Canada’s population (five million residents) live within TRCA-managed watersheds, and many others work in and visit destinations across the jurisdiction. These nine watersheds, plus their collective Lake Ontario waterfront shorelines, span six upper-tier and 15 lower-tier municipalities. Some of Canada’s largest and fastest growing municipalities, including Toronto, Markham and Vaughan, are located entirely within TRCA’s jurisdiction.

Media Contact:
Michael Tolensky
Chief Financial and Operating Officer
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
416-706-9093 | michael.tolensky@trca.ca