Flood protection upgrades to disrupt park use at Greenway and Adelaide

The city will begin work later this year to shore up land at two of its major wastewater treatment facilities.

It’s an effort to prevent flooding at both the Greenway Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant. It also means temporarily shutting down some popular recreational amenities nearby.

At Greenway Park, the city plans to close the off-leash dog park for the two-year duration of the project to allow work to be done safely.

Park users Melanie French and April Mote said they understand the need.

“Ultimately, they [have to] do what they [have to] do, but it will be an inconvenience,” said Mote.

“Pollution treatment’s one of the more important things I think in a city that has waterways running through it,” added French. “At the cost of six months that my dog has to go be feral somewhere else, I think it will be okay.”

Melanie French and April Mote played with their dog at Greenway off-leash dog park on Jan. 11, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

The Thames Valley Parkway and Terry Fox Parkway at Greenway Park will also be impacted, closing for about six months starting later this year.

“Obviously a bit of delay in using the pathway, but if it’s going to bring greater benefit to London, then yeah I’m all for it,” said Darren Smyth, who was out for a stroll along the parkway Thursday with his wife Cindy Smyth.

Construction crews will build an earth berm around the perimeter of the plant, constructing walls in certain locations where the terrain presents challenges.

The city says 148 trees will have to be removed, with new trees planted elsewhere in the city.

“We do love our trees, we’re the Forest City, and that’s one of the things we love about it,” said Cindy Smyth. “We live close to the path so we can use it daily, so I’ll check that the city of London will do the right thing when it comes to the trees,” she said.

Meanwhile in the city’s north end, the Adelaide Wastewater Treatment Plant will also undergo flood protection work, including an earth berm around the perimeter and some new infrastructure constructed inside the plant property.

The city says 53 trees will be taken out with new trees planted elsewhere in the city.

The city held a public meeting at city hall to discuss environmental upgrades at Greenway and Adelaide wastewater treatment plants on Jan. 11, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

The city held a public meeting on the two projects Thursday evening, answering questions from park users.

Kirby Ouderkerk, Division Manager of Wastewater Treatment Operations told CTV News the work has to be done to protect these sites from flooding.

“As climate changes and as weather events get more significant, the river can ebb and flow much more than it ever used to,” explained Ouderkerk. “And so the risks for these flooding events and the ability for these facilities to be submerged and maybe inoperable for months at a time, you know the risks are too large.”

The projects will go for tender this spring.

Total cost is about $50 million, with 40 per cent being picked up by the federal government.