Long-anticipated dredging work on the Conestogo River through Drayton appears set to finally begin this fall.
The latest issue of the Grand River Conservation Authority’s (GRCA) Newsletter, Grand River Current states rehabilitation of a small section of the Conestogo River near Drayton will be carried out by R&M Construction of Acton at a cost of $258,000.
The project will be funded by the GRCA levy and matched by the provincial Water and Erosion Control Infrastructure program. The GRCA states work on the project will get underway in September with completion expected by the end of the year.
A letter from the GRCA to Mapleton Township indicates the authority granted itself permission to construct a 575-metre low flow channel in the Conestogo River at Wellington Street North to Main Street West in Drayton.
The accompanying permit indicates it is valid until July 8, 2016. The permit application lists “Drayton channel clean-out” under a description of the proposed work.
“I hope this is just one step in the right direction, in which there are many more steps for them,” said Mapleton Mayor Neil Driscoll at the Sept. 8 council meeting.
Driscoll noted further erosion control work along the river in the area around the village will be needed to reduce flood concerns in the area.
Township officials have lobbied since the 1990s for improvements to the river to help reduce flooding in the village, which occurs almost every year.
In the past, GRCA officials stated dredging would have a negligible and short-lived effect on flooding because an eroding CN Railway abutment upstream would just fill in the excavated channel (CN officials refute there is any direct connection between the CN bridge support and flooding).
However, the GRCA included funds for the dredging project in its 2014 budget. It was forced to postpone the work due to concerns from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), which restricts when work can be done in watercourses.
The GRCA says a combination of sunny weekends and rainy weekdays has led to good revenue streams for the authority this summer.
The authority reports year-to-date park revenue is approximately $800,000 higher than it was at the same time last year.
“Park revenue is generally closely tied to favourable weather for those who enjoy outdoor recreation,” the authority notes, adding the increase may also be due to additional marketing efforts.
Also, the GRCA’s three hydro turbines have been operating at full capacity due to rain that has mostly fallen on weekdays, resulting in higher revenue from power sales.
