No easy fix for the Westmeath boat launch

Westmeath -- Whitewater Region (WWR) council took a hard look at the growing problems plaguing the Westmeath boat launch.

To assist council in its deliberations, Public Works Manager Lane Cleroux presented a report to the April 3 meeting, prepared by Jp2g Consultants and offering five options to deal with the silting that is rendering the facility unusable for much of the boating season.

One possibility would be to dredge the boat launch entrance.

“This would require the township to frequently monitor the water levels and siltation, and dredge when there is siltation buildup,” said Mr. Cleroux. “No other works would be required; however, this is a band-aid solution that does not resolve the issue of sediment settling.”

The cost is estimated at $100,000, which includes engineering and construction.

The township leases the LaPasse and Westmeath boat launches from Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Small Craft Harbours Branch at a cost of $500 per year. The current five-year lease, which allows for continued access to the Ottawa River at both locations, expires on September 30, 2025. In discussion of needed work with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in 2021, DFO informed the township that a dredge would likely not be warranted and possibly not supported with funding due to the historically low waters found in this geographical location. Discussion of new locations for a boat launch in Westmeath were raised by the Westmeath Recreation Task Force. However, at that time DFO did not support any new infrastructure, only supporting work to existing infrastructure.

Mr. Cleroux noted that an application to do work on shorelands would be required by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), to identify the dredging details, as well as coordination with the DFO and the Ministry of the Environment and Parks (MECP).

The option to re-align the creek, which transports the silt and deposits it in the launch area, was also considered.

“Re-alignment of the creek into the wetland would encourage settlement (of silt) in the wetland area rather than the boat launch entrance,” Mr. Cleroux explained. “This option would require a berm-type structure adjacent to the dock so that the flow would be re-directed. Further studies would be required for fish habitat and wetland health. It would also require the DFO, the MNRF and the MECP be involved for approvals.”

The cost estimate is $1,500,000 in engineering fees and construction costs. This solution would not address the source of the sediment accumulation.

A third option would be additional study of the upstream drainage to identify sources of sedimentation.

“The drainage area of the creek is very large, and encompasses upstream farmland and the village of Westmeath,” says the report. “Mitigation could involve installation of check dams in ditches, buffers along farmland, or other treatment options to promote settling prior to reaching the Ottawa River. This option would include the design of quality and quantity control in accordance with MECP requirements, MNRF and DFO approvals.”

The total cost for this investigation is estimated at $80,000.

Dredging or lowering the entire channel, including the watercourse floor along the channel from the boat launch to the Ottawa River, is also an option, and takes into consideration the possibility that there is a local high point within this channel that is causing sediment settling in the boat launch area. The total cost would be $140,000. This option would also require approvals from DFO, MNRF and the MECP. Additional costs may be associated with removing the soil from the site. However, like Option 3, this solution would not address the source of the sediment accumulation.

A fifth option explored was to relocate the boat launch. There is a peninsula adjacent to the current boat launch that could be used to avoid the sedimentation at the mouth of the creek/the existing boat launch. The proposed boat launch area would have to be examined for water depth and ground slope, as well as the floodplain elevation, to ensure it was a suitable location. Additional study to confirm design criteria would require coordination with the DFO, the MNRF and the MECP for approvals. A geotechnical investigation would be required, as well as the design and construction of an access road and concrete ramp/boat launch structure. While this option would not solve the sedimentation issue in the existing creek, it would allow residents to use the boat launch with no issues. The estimated cost of this option is $1 million.

Any Action Will Be Costly

Councillor Mike Moore said the report leaves him with more questions than anything else.

“I don’t know where we would be expected to come up with $1 million or more to move or relocate something we don’t own,” he said. “Dredging might be the best option to meet the township’s needs. Dredging was done in the late 80s or early 90s and there has been none since then. If it worked back then perhaps Option 3 (additional study of the upstream drainage to identify sources of sedimentation) could be investigated to see if it’s even an option at this time.”

Councillor Joe Trimm said he can remember the area being dredged on two occasions: once in the 1970s and again in the 1990s.

“The dredging option does work for some time but, as pointed out in the report, it is a band-aid option.”

He noted township staff has been meeting with Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski.

“There may be some option for grants,” he said. “I think we should actively continue to pursue that (option) with the help of the MPP. It would at least make the facility usable for a number of years.”

Mayor Neil Nicholson said the report has uncovered a lot of information that can be used for council’s eventual decision.

“We can’t move forward without involving MRNF, MPEC and DFO,” he said. “I don’t think we can source the funding internally. And you can’t expect a grant unless the project is shovel-ready.”

He said it is a beautiful area with a great deal of potential as a viewing area, for wedding pictures, or a picnic or sitting area.

“But there’s nothing there,” he said. “Right now, you would be lucky if you can get a kayak out into the water.”

Mayor Nicholson said in the last term of council the issue was referred to the recreation task force, which looked for a possible alternate location for the boat launch, should dredging not be an option.

“That would prove very difficult, if not impossible, and I’m not surprised that the estimated cost is $1 million, by the time you try to purchase property on the river.”

He pointed out something has to be done with the silt when it is removed from the water.

“It has to be dewatered and then tested,” he said. “Depending on what it contains, it can either be treated as hazardous waste, or put on fields or used as landfill cover.”

He and Coun. Trimm shared information about the Township of Scugog where the silt is put into “big socks” which look something like wrapped round hay bales. These can then be put back into the water and used to rebuild the area around the boat launch and waterfront.

“They are not an ugly thing,” Coun. Trimm said. “Vegetation can grow on them. And they can be used as another barrier to redirect the creek.”

“This assumes that all the test results are green, and there are no adverse substances found in the silt,” Mayor Nicholson explained. “We have to remember that the silt comes from a creek that flows through a large portion of our community.”

The mayor said that any action will be costly.

“If we are putting that much money into the boat launch, we should incorporate other things, such as beautification,” he said. “This is a complex issue and we have to look at it holistically. I don’t thing we’re prepared to make a decision today.”

For the benefit of people watching the meeting online, Mayor Nicholson explained the significance of the boat launch to the wider community.

“This is the only public access to this section of the river, between the rapids at the Quebec bridge and the next set of rapids around the Bromley Line,” he said. “Not only the public, but also the OPP, MRNF, and MPEC. So, it does have strategic interest and not just for our community and residents.”

The motion to accept the report was carried. There was consensus the issue be referred to the township’s Community Services Committee and that this committee’s recommendations be included in the report. The objective is to set a direction for including the issue in next year’s budget.

“It’s a complex problem, years in the making,” Mayor Nicholson said. “I hope it’s the first step to achieving what needs to be achieved.”

Marie Zettler, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eganville Leader