Ontario Construction News staff writer
Richmond Hill is receiving $1.1 million from the Ontario government to support a project protecting water and wastewater infrastructure along Patterson Creek.
Funding will support the South Richvale Valleyland Sewer Protection Project in the South Richvale Valleyland, south of Carrville Road and east of Bathurst Street.
The project involves stabilizing creek banks to reduce erosion and improve the waterway’s ability to handle extreme weather events, including heavy rainfall. The work is also intended to protect underground sanitary sewers from becoming exposed by erosion, reducing the risk of cracked or damaged pipes and potential sewage releases into Patterson Creek.
Construction will also reduce sediment entering the creek and improve habitat for aquatic species, including the endangered Redside Dace.
Funding is being provided through the Ontario government’s Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program Health and Safety Water Stream, which includes more than $875 million for municipalities and First Nations to build, expand and rehabilitate aging water, wastewater, stormwater and flood-control infrastructure.
Patterson Creek is part of the Don River watershed, which flows south to Lake Ontario.
A sanitary sewer pipe, a York Region sanitary trunk sewer, stormwater outlets and a local pedestrian trail will be protected. Streambank erosion has been identified as a risk to underground sanitary sewers, with potential pipe failure posing a risk of sewage being discharged into the environment.
Richmond Hill is working with York Region, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Ontario government on the project.
The total estimated cost of the project is $1.5 million. Construction is underway and is expected to be completed by October 2026, with restoration plantings continuing into 2027.
