Councillor Squire has been able to arrange an on-site information session with City staff about the Metamore sewer remediation project. He and city staff will be at the Metamora entrance to the ESA tomorrow, Tuesday, March 16, at 9:30 a.m. to meet with residents. Please observe COVID protocols and maintain social distancing. Sorry for the short notice.

Here is the latest from the city engineer who is leading the project.

In total, there will be 52 trees larger than 10 cm removed from the area. Of these, 11 are considered invasive species and another two are in failing health. Another 20 smaller trees will be removed. A Tree Inventory and health assessment was completed by a Certified Arborist to aid in determining the trees that would be removed. These removals are necessary in order to complete the stormwater outfall replacement. Tree removal has to take place before April 1 as the city has to comply with the Migratory Bird Convention Act.

As with any City of London project, our goal is to limit the number of removals and minimize our project footprint to the best of our abilities. The scoped Environmental Impact Study (EIS) is ongoing; the background information regarding the natural heritage has been collected and a two-season flora/fauna inventory was completed. The EIS will outline the requirements for land restoration once a design is finalized. The consultant should have a preliminary design by the end of the week. Once the city project managers are confident in the design, the Environmental Impact Study will progress to make recommendations based on the design footprint. At that point, the City will develop a presentation for the residents outlining the details of the design and EIS recommendations/land restoration plan. This will likely occur in May. For the time being, city staff have requested the consultant supply them with a preliminary landscape/layout of the area. This of course is subject to change.

In its current state, the outfall is failing and has caused extensive erosion on the surrounding slopes and into the creek. Several of the trees surrounding the current outfall have extensive root exposure which impacts the health of the tree. Without addressing this structure, further damage to the natural heritage may occur. We are currently in the design phase for the project. Although preliminary in nature, the proposed works looks to use a more natural design that blends in with the surrounding natural heritage and creek system. To prevent erosion and to protect the slopes in the area, a series of energy dissipating drop structures are proposed down to the creek to slow the flow of water from the outfall. Natural channel design will be utilized to tie into the creek. A land restoration plan will be developed to ensure trees are replaced at a 3:1 ratio, at a minimum, and use native species. A letter detailing the design and anticipated construction schedule will be sent out as the design progresses (likely June). Due to Covid-19, we are unable to host a Public Information Centre to share project information. Instead, information will be made available virtually for the residents of the area. More information on how to access this information will be provided in the Spring letter.