Water under the bridge | UrbanToronto

Yesterday, we broke the rules to include two photos in the Photo of the Day feature, and we're doing it again today with these images by UrbanToronto forum member mburrrrr. All this helped to see the water flow from Lake Ontario to the new mouth of the Don River. Yesterday's photos, by UrbanToronto forum member skycandy, were both taken just south of the Commissioners Street Bridge, Thursday and Friday of last week when the water deepened in the new channel. Today, both shots by mburrrrr look north from the same bridge, both taken around midday on Saturday, and this time capturing the two channels of the new riverbed, the first view between the…

Looking north from the Commissioners Street Bridge towards the Toronto skyline and the Gardiner Line, photo by UrbanToronto forum contributor mburrrrr

…and the other focuses more on the side channel and its pond, a wetland separated from the main channel by a concrete control structure called a carp gate. The bars in the carp gate are close enough together that large, invasive species can't get through, but not close enough that smaller native species have a problem with them. The wetland becomes a habitat for native fish without competing with carp. There is about another meter of water in the new riverbed before it reaches normal depth.

Looking north from the Commissioners Street Bridge towards the Toronto skyline and the Gardiner Line, photo by UrbanToronto forum contributor mburrrrr

Behind both photos is the former Villiers Street crossing. With that section now closed, Waterfront Toronto can move forward with removing the road and what's beneath it, and then removing the “north plug” to connect the new riverbed to the existing river. The Gardiner Expressway ramps, which form the skyline behind it, are slated to be redesigned in the coming years to be less disruptive.

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