Memorandum - Barrie

AECOM 50 Sportsworld Crossing Road, Suite 290 519.650.5313 tel Kitchener, ON, Canada N2P 0A4 519.650.3424 fax www.aecom.com

Memorandum

Natural Conditions Memo-Revised.Docx

To File Page 1

CC Karl Grueneis, Jessica Mollo, AECOM Canada Ltd.

Subject Natural Environmental Conditions at Sunnidale Road – Highway 400 Watermain Crossing EA

From Jillian deMan, Terrestrial and Wetland Ecologist, AECOM Canada Ltd.

Date December, 2011 Project Number 60216744 The following memo describes the existing environmental conditions for the Watermain Crossing at Sunnidale Road and Highway 400 EA in Barrie, Ontario and offers recommendations for the next phase in the project. 1. Methods

On June 29, 2011, environmental field investigations were undertaken for watermain option alignments along Sunnidale Road, crossing Highway 400. The overall intent of the investigations was to:

a) delineate vegetation communities;

b) delineate and confirm the presence of wetland communities;

c) assess Species at Risk potential;

d) assess aquatic habitat; and,

e) assess general terrain and other environmental characteristics.

To determine this, investigations comprised of both aquatic and terrestrial assessments as per the following: Terrestrial assessments – delineated vegetation communities as per Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, “Ecological Land Classification,” and, “Ontario Wetland Evaluation System for Southern Ontario” (Lee et al., 1998; OMNR, 2002 3rd edition), undertook floral species inventories within natural areas within proximity to the crossing, conducted habitat assessment for potential Species at Risk and documented street trees and noted any incidental wildlife. Aquatic assessments – An AECOM ecologist conducted a fish habitat assessment on the unnamed tributary of Kidd’s Creek flowing from the Hwy 400 to Wellington St, within proximity of Option 4. The survey was to document current conditions and identify any factors that may be constraining to the alternative alignments. The following features were assessed:

Flow regime In-stream cover Bank stability

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Sunnidale Road EA: Natural Environmental Conditions


Substrate composition Stream morphology Canopy cover Aquatic vegetation Riparian vegetation Water clarity Evidence of groundwater upwellings

Prior to the field site visit, cursory background information was reviewed and revealed no species at risk in the tributary according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans mapping, however the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority has designated a regulation flood line mapping around the tributary. 2. Natural Environmental Results

Natural vegetation communities were located along the rail line and Welland Canal. The following describes the conditions at the proposed Transformer Substation and along the transmission line alignments. Attachment A presents a floral species list. Attachment B presents representative photographs of the communities observed. 2.1 Terrestrial Assessment

Two main areas were investigated in terms of terrestrial habitat which were north and south of Highway 400. Proposed routes 1, 2, 4 and 5 intersect or are in proximity to these communities and are described as follows. Wetland Community along Proposed Route 4, South of Highway 400 A wetland community occurs within the headwaters of an unnamed tributary as described in the aquatic assessment section below. This wetland has over 50% cover of wetland plants with the following species as per Table 1 below. Table 1 – Dominant Wetland Species Observed within Headwaters of unnamed Tributary Vegetation Structure Dominant Species Other Notes Coniferous trees Tamarack (Larix laricina) 5-10% cover

Tall shrubs Red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), pussy willow (Salix bicolour)

5-10% cover

Narrow-leaved emergents Narrow-leaved sedge (no flower

observed)

60% cover

Ground cover Horsetail (Equisetum sp), purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), three flowered bedstraw (Galium triflorum), jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

90% cover

Dead snags Species not apparent 5% cover

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Looking at the vegetation structure of the wetland, according to OMNR’s Wetland Evaluation protocols, this would be considered a marsh type of wetland with groundwater influence. According to OMNR’s Ecological Land Classification protocols, this wetland would be considered a meadow marsh (MAM2-5 Narrow-leaved sedge mineral meadow marsh Type). Should Proposed Route 4 be preferred, the boundaries of this wetland should be surveyed and geo-referenced so that appropriate setbacks and mitigation during construction are applied. Forest Community along Proposed Route 4, south of Highway 400 A forest community occurs along proposed Route 4, south of Highway 400. Dominant trees include white birch (Betula papyrifera), Manitoba maple (Acer negundo) with planted Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and white ash (Fraxinus americanus). Shrubs consist of common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), alternative leaved dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), red raspberry (Rubus ideaus) and poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). This community seems to have been fragmented/disturbed due to the adjacent development. According to OMNR’s Ecological Land Classification protocols, this community would be considered a forest (FOD3 Dry fresh poplar white birch deciduous forest ecosite). According to OMNR’s Wetland Evaluation protocols, this community is not considered a wetland. Cultural Communities north and south of Highway 400, proposed Routes 1 through 5 Culturally influenced meadow communities occur along the northern and southern limits of Highway 400. Typical species observed include common burdock (Arctium minus), smooth brome grass (Bromus inermis), common mullein (Verbascum Thapsus), goldenrod species (Solidago sp.), oxeye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum), bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) and Virginia creeper. According to OMNR’s Ecological Land Classification protocols, this community would be considered a cultural meadow (CUM 1-1 Dry Fresh Cultural Meadow Type). According to OMNR’s Wetland Evaluation protocols, this community is not considered a wetland. Forest Community along Proposed Route 5, north of Highway 400 A forest community occurs along a ravine system north of Highway 400 and along the parking lot of a church. Dominant species include sugar maple (Acer saccharum), with red oak (Quercus rubra), ash (Fraxinus sp) and basswood (Tilia americana) associates. Ground cover consists of false soloman’s seal, large patches of lily-of the-valley, garlic mustard, red raspberry, wild ginger, Canada clearweed, escaped periwinkle and tiger lily. This community is not considered a wetland according to OMNR’s Wetland Evaluation protocols, but is considered a forest (FOD 5-1 is Dry-fresh Sugar Maple Deciuous forest type) according to the Ecological Land Classification protocols. Schedule F of the City of Barrie’s Official Plan indicates a watercourse occurs through this community, however field observations did not find any channel, so it is assumed that this area provides overland flow, but no fish habitat and therefore was not part of the aquatic assessment as described below.

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2.1.1 Street Trees

An approximate count of street trees were tallied along the proposed routes via drive-by assessment. A total of twenty-three (23) species were observed, all considered common. Table 1 presents the species, approximate number and street observed. Table 1 – Street Trees Observed

Tree Species Streets Observed Approximate Count

Common name Latin name Norway maple Acer platanoides Shirley Road, Sunnidale

Road, Wellington Street 14

Red maple Acer rubrum Sunnidale Road 1

Sugar maple Acer saccharrum Sunnidale Road, Shirley

Road, Wellington Street

41

Freeman’s maple Acer x freeman Wellington Street 1

Manitoba maple Acer negundo Shirley Road 3

Horse chestnut Aeculus hippocastanum Sunnidale Road 1

White birch Betula papyrifera Sunnidale Road 6

Catalpa Catalpa speciosa Wellington Street 1

Ash Fraxinus sp Wellington Street 1

Locust Gleditsia sp Sunnidale Road, Wellington

Street

4

Black walnut Juglans nigra Shirley Road, Sunnidale Road

5

Mulberry Morus sp Wellington Street 1

Ironwood Ostrya virginiana Shirley Road 1

Norway spruce Picea abies Sunnidale Road, Wellington Street, Shirley Road

12

White spruce Picea glauca Shirley Road 1

Blue spruce Picea pungens Wellington Street 1

Scots pine Pinus sylvestris Wellington Street 3

Black cherry Prunus serotina Sunnidale Road 1

Cherry Prunus sp Sunnidale Road 3

White oak Quercus alba Wellington Street 2

Red oak Quercus rubra Wellington Street, Shirley Road

4

Cedar Thuja sp Sunnidale Road, Wellington Street, Shirley Road

12

Linden Tilia sp Wellington Street 1

2.2 Aquatic Assessment

The only watercourse feature within the study area consists of an unnamed tributary of Kidd’s Creek that flows from a wetland community along proposed Route 4, east of Highway 400. Schedule F of the City of Barrie’s Official Plan shows potential watercourses within a ravine system north of Highway 400

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Attachment B, photographs 12 through 14 presents representative photographs of the unnamed tributary. Attachment C presents the overall watercourses within the City of Barrie as per Schedule F of the City of Barrie’s Official Plan. The unnamed tributary is a permanent watercourse that has its headwaters just south of the HWY 400 and naturally meanders to the residential area on north side Wellington St. at which point it becomes a channelized tributary, and eventually flows through the culvert to the south side of Wellington St. The headwaters of the tributary start in a wetland area that is approximately 100m by 50m. Watercress was noted in the wetland area which can indicate potential groundwater upwellings. Further detail on the wetland survey can be found in the terrestrial section above. The tributary starts as braided channels that are narrow and then join together to form a more channelized tributary as it enters into the forested area. In the headwater area vegetation canopy cover consists mostly of grasses and sedges, the water was visibly flowing and was clear. As the tributary flowed into the forested area it became one channel that has stable low sloping banks. The tributary naturally meandered and was predominately run/riffle with a few pooling areas. The mean wetted width was 0.75m, the mean wetted depth was 0.15m, the water was visibly flowing and was clear. The overall substrate consisted of dominantly muck and detritus with sand and gravel. The instream habitat cover was very high in percent surface area and consisted mostly of woody debris followed by organic debris, cobble/boulder, and undercut banks. The vegetation on the immediate bank side consisted mostly of herb vegetation with trees being the next vegetation type. The canopy cover was ~95% that was dominated by trees. Of note, iron staining was found on the stream bank (just north of the wetland located by the parking lot) which again can indicate potential groundwater upwellings. Although no fish were observed this tributary has the potential to be direct fish habitat, and can currently be defined as indirect fish habitat as it can contribute nutrients to the systems downstream. The culvert on Wellington St. did not appear to be a fish barrier. Drainage from Commercial Area A brief investigation was completed on June 29, 2011 for the drainage area that is located just east of the commercial building area and just west of the residential home off of Wellington St. The ditch was approximately 50m in length (from Wellington St. going north) and was dry at the time of the investigation. It appears to take overland flow from the adjacent grassed area in times of high precipitation. It is approximately 1 m in width and most likely flows south into the culvert at Wellington St. that appears to join a storm water system. This drainage features does not appear to have any direct or indirect fish habitat. 2.3 Species at Risk

A total of four Species at Risk (SAR) are known to occur throughout the City of Barrie as per the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ Biodiversity Explorer. To understand which species may be affected by the proposed alternative watermain routes, a habitat assessment of each was conducted and is summarized as follows in Table 3. Through this assessment, it was determined that no SAR have the potential suitable habitat within the study area.

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Table 3: Summary of Species at Risk Assessment Species General Habitat (as per COSEWIC

reports) Habitat located within Study Area?

Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) Large tracts of interior forest Forest communities exist, but are not considered large, nor do they contain interior habitat.

Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus

henslowi)

Large tracts of grasslands No grasslands exist within or near

proximity to the study area.

Eastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus)

Highly aquatic, slow to no moving water Wetland and watercourses exist, but do not provide enough water to sustain the lifecycle of Eastern Musk Turtle.

Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) Lake systems No lake systems occur within the study

area.

3. Conclusions and Recommendations

The following conclusions are made concerning environmental conditions within proximity to the alternative Routes: Terrestrial Conclusions

- The vegetation observed consists of common species typical of Ontario, with some typical of disturbed/ ornamental areas (i.e. planted street trees).

- A total of 23 species of planted street trees were observed. - Wetland communities occur along Proposed Route 4, west of Eccles Street North and south of Highway

400. - Forest communities occur along Proposed Routes 4 and 5. These communities are considered

common in Ontario. Aquatic Conclusions

- An unnamed tributary of Kidd’s Creek was observed along Proposed Route 4. No fish were observed during investigations, however, this system may contribute fish habitat in terms of thermal regime inputs and food to downstream systems.

Species at Risk Conclusions

- No Species at Risk listed to occur within the City of Barrie (as per OMNR’s Biodiversity Explorer) have potential suitable habitat within the study area for the proposed Sunnidale Road EA.

The following recommendations are made concerning the proposed Sunnidale Road EA, to be carried out during Detailed Design:

1. Confirm with MNR the need for Species at Risk surveys. It was determined through the EA that no SAR have suitable habitat within the study area, however, during Detailed Design, new species may be

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added to the Endangered/Threatened list of the Endangered Species Act and may require further investigation/mitigation.

2. Survey of wetland boundaries utilizing Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ Wetland Evaluation Guidelines for Southern Ontario along proposed route 4 (if determined to be preferred).

3. An inventory of trees to be cleared along the preferred alignment. 4. Determination of Sedimentation and Erosion Control along preferred alignment.

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Appendix A – Plant Species List

AECOM City of Barrie Sunnidale Road - HWY 400 Watermain Crossing EA

BOTANICAL NAME COMMON NAMECOEFFICIENT

OF CONSERVATISM

WETNESS INDEX

WEEDINESS INDEX

PROVINCIAL STATUS

OMNR STATUS

COSEWIC STATUS

GLOBAL STATUS

LOCAL STATUS SIMCOE

PTERIDOPHYTES FERNS & ALLIES

Dryopteridaceae Wood Fern Family

Onoclea sensibilis Sensitive Fern 4 -3 S5 G5 XEquisetaceae Horsetail FamilyEquisetum species Horsetail speciesThelypteridaceae Marsh Fern FamilyThelypteris palustris var. pubescens Marsh Fern 5 -4 S5 G5T? XGYMNOSPERMS CONIFERSCupressaceae Cedar FamilyThuja occidentalis Eastern White Cedar 4 -3 S5 G5 XPinaceae Pine FamilyLarix laricina Tamarack 7 -3 S5 G5 XPicea abies Norway Spruce 5 -1 SE3 G?Picea glauca White Spruce 6 3 S5 G5 XPicea pungens Colorado Spruce SE1 G5DICOTYLEDONS DICOTSAceraceae Maple FamilyAcer negundo Manitoba Maple 0 -2 S5 G5Acer platanoides Norway Maple 5 -3 SE5 G?Acer saccharum Sugar Maple 4 3 S5 G5T?Anacardiaceae Sumac or Cashew FamilyToxicodendron radicans ssp. negundo Poison-ivy 5 -1 S5 G5TToxicodendron radicans ssp. negundo Poison-ivy 5 -1 S5 G5TApiaceae Carrot or Parsley FamilyDaucus carota Wild Carrot 5 -2 SE5 G?Apocynaceae Dogbane FamilyVinca minor Periwinkle 5 -2 SE5 G?Aristolochiaceae Duchman's-pipe FamilyAsarum canadense Wild Ginger 6 5 S5 G5 XAsclepiadaceae Milkweed FamilyAsclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata Swamp Milkweed 6 -5 S5 G5T5Asteraceae Composite or Aster FamilyArctium minus Common Burdock 5 -2 SE5 G?T?Leucanthemum vulgare Ox-eye Daisy 5 -1 SE5 G?Cirsium vulgare Bull Thistle 4 -1 SE5 G5Eupatorium maculatum Spotted Joe-pye-weed 3 -5 S5 G5T5Solidago species Goldenrod species 10 3 G5Balsaminaceae Touch-me-not Family

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OF CONSERVATISM

WETNESS INDEX

WEEDINESS INDEX

PROVINCIAL STATUS

OMNR STATUS

COSEWIC STATUS

GLOBAL STATUS

LOCAL STATUS SIMCOE

Impatiens capensis Spotted Touch-me-not 4 -3 S5 G5Betulaceae Birch FamilyBetula papyrifera White Birch 2 S5 G5 XOstrya virginiana Hop Hornbeam - Ironwood 4 4 S5 G5 XBrassicaceae Mustard FamilyAlliaria petiolata Garlic Mustard 0 -3 SE5 G5 XNasturtium officinale Water-cress -5 -1 SE? G?Caprifoliaceae Honeysuckle FamilyLonicera tatarica Tartarian Honeysuckle 3 -3 SE5 G?Cornaceae Dogwood FamilyCornus alternifolia Alternate-leaved Dogwood 6 5 S5 G5Cornus sericea Red-osier Dogwood 2 -3 S5 G5Fabaceae Pea FamilyGleditsia triacanthos Honey Locust 3 0 G5Fagaceae Beech FamilyQuercus rubra Red Oak 6 3 S5 G5 XGuttiferae St. John's-wort FamilyHypericum perforatum Common St. John's-wort 5 -3 SE5 G?Hippocastanaceae Buckeye FamilyAesculus hippocastanum Horse Chestnut 5 -1 SE2 G?Juglandaceae Walnut FamilyJuglans nigra Black Walnut 5 3 S4 G5 R1Lythraceae Loosestrife FamilyLythraceae Loosestrife FamilyLythrum salicaria Purple Loosestrife -5 -3 SE5 G5Oleaceae Olive FamilyFraxinus americana White Ash 4 3 S5 G5Fraxinus pennsylvanica Red Ash 3 -3 S5 G5Circaea lutetiana ssp. canadensis Enchanter's Nightshade 3 3 S5 G5T5Rhamnaceae Buckthorn FamilyRhamnus cathartica Common Buckthorn 3 -3 SE5 G?Rosaceae Rose FamilyPrunus serotina Black Cherry 3 3 S5 G5Rubus idaeus Red Raspberry S5 G5T5Rubiaceae Madder FamilyGalium triflorum Sweet-scented Bedstraw 4 2 S5 G5Salicaceae Willow FamilyPopulus balsamifera ssp. balsamifera Balsam Poplar 4 -3 S5 G5T? XScrophulariaceae Figwort FamilyVerbascum thapsus Common Mullein 5 -2 SE5 G?

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OF CONSERVATISM

WETNESS INDEX

WEEDINESS INDEX

PROVINCIAL STATUS

OMNR STATUS

COSEWIC STATUS

GLOBAL STATUS

LOCAL STATUS SIMCOE

Tiliaceae Linden FamilyTilia americana American Basswood 4 3 S5 G5Ulmaceae Elm FamilyUlmus americana White Elm 3 -2 S5 G5? XUrticaceae Nettle FamilyPilea pumila Dwarf Clearweed 5 -3 S5 G5 XVitaceae Grape FamilyParthenocissus inserta Inserted Virginia-creeper 3 3 S5 G5Vitis riparia Riverbank Grape 0 -2 S5 G5Cyperaceae Sedge FamilyCarex species Narrow-leaved Sedge 9 -1 G5 XLiliaceae Lily FamilyLilium lancifolium Tiger Lily 5 -1 SE1 G?Maianthemum racemosum ssp. racemosum False Solomon's Seal 4 3 S5 G5T XOrchidaceae Orchid FamilyEpipactis helleborine Common Helleborine 5 -2 SE5 G? XPoaceae Grass FamilyElymus repens Quack Grass 3 -3 SE5 G? XGrass species Grass sp.Sorghum halepense Johnson Grass 3 -1 SE2 G?Typhaceae Cattail FamilyTypha angustifolia Narrow-leaved Cattail 3 -5 S5 G5 XTypha latifolia Broad-leaved Cattail 3 -5 S5 G5 XTypha latifolia Broad-leaved Cattail 3 -5 S5 G5 X

FLORISTIC SUMMARY & ASSESSMENT

Species DiversityTotal Species: 52Native Species: 33 63.46%Exotic Species 19 36.54%Total Taxa in Region (List Region, Source) 10000% Regional Taxa Recorded 0.52%Regionally Significant SpeciesS1-S3 Species 0S4 Species 1S5 Species 32

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OF CONSERVATISM

WETNESS INDEX

WEEDINESS INDEX

PROVINCIAL STATUS

OMNR STATUS

COSEWIC STATUS

GLOBAL STATUS

LOCAL STATUS SIMCOE

Co-efficient of Conservatism and Floral Quality IndexCo-efficient of Conservatism (CC) (average) 4.30CC 0 to 3 lowest sensitivity 11 33.33%CC 4 to 6 moderate sensitivity 19 57.58%CC 7 to 8 high sensitivity 1 3.03%CC 9 to 10 highest sensitivity 2 6.06%Floral Quality Index (FQI) 24.72

Presence of Weedy & Invasive Speciesmean weediness -2.00weediness = -1 low potential invasiveness 7 36.84%weediness = -2 moderate potential invasiveness 5 26.32%weediness = -3 high potential invasiveness 7 36.84%

Presence of Wetland Speciesaverage wetness value 1.15upland 13 25.00%facultative upland 19 36.54%facultative 4 7.69%facultative wetland 12 23.08%obligate wetland 5 9.62%

Page 4 of 4

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Appendix B – Representative Photographs

AECOM City of Barrie Sunnidale Road – HWY 400 Watermain Crossing EA

1

Representative Photographs

Photograph 1 Wetland pocket with cattails along option 4.

Photograph 2 Wetland community associated with headwaters of Kidd’s

Creek near option 4.

Photograph 3 Street trees.

Photograph 4 Wetland community near option 4.

Photograph 5 Street trees.

Photograph 6 Cultural communities along highway.


2

Photograph 7 Cultural community along highway.

Photograph 8 Highway 400.

Photograph 9 View of large trees on private land.

Photograph 10 Forest community west of highway along option 1, 2 and

4.

Photograph 11 Forest community west of highway along option 1, 2 and

4.

Photograph 12 Iron staining along watercourse


3

Photograph 13 Meandering Stream

Photograph 14 Organic Woody Debris

Photograph 15 Stream moving from wetland to forest

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Appendix C – Schedule F - Watercourses

Investigated unnamed Tributary

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