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Highland Creek (Toronto)
Encyclopedia
Highland Creek is a river
in the Scarborough
district of Toronto
, Ontario
, emptying into Lake Ontario
at the eastern end of the Scarborough Bluffs
. It is home to several species of fish including trout
, carp
, and bass
. It is a meandering river which, like most rivers in Toronto (including the Don
and Humber
), travels through a glacial
ravine formed after the last Ice Age
. The Highland Creek watershed
, including tributaries, are almost entirely contained within Scarborough.
The north-west branch begins at the exit of a culvert at Finch Avenue East at 43°48′11"N 79°17′17"W. It flows south, then south-east and passes under the intersection of Midland Avenue
and Huntingwood Drive. The branch continues east under Brimley Road
, then parallels the road south until just north of the Canadian Pacific Railway
tracks. The branch then heads under the tracks east and under McCowan Road, before joining the west branch at 43°47′30.5"N 79°15′33"W. The entire length of the branch has been was artificially channelled and straightened, and much of it lined with a concrete bed, in the 1970s after a scare about mosquito
es carrying encephalitis
breeding in stagnant creek water (see also "Threats from Development" below). The total length is approximately 3.4 km (2.1 mi).
The west branch begins at the exit of a culvert just southeast of Brimley Road and McNicoll Road at 43°48′54"N 79°16′51"W. This is the most northerly point of any part of the Highland Creek system including all tributaries. It flows south-east under Finch Avenue East, McCowan Road and Middlefield Road. The branch travels 250 m (820 ft) southwest, then south to its confluence with the north-west branch. It continues southeast under Sheppard Avenue East
, then south under Highway 401
, and then a further 150 m (492 ft) south. The entire length up to this point has been artificially channelled, straightened and lined with a concrete bed. The next 1.6 km (0.994196378639691 mi) stretch, however, a crescent shape that proceeds east to a point just west of Markham Road and which had been previously altered, has now been restored to a more natural state with gentle meanders and shallow pools. From Markham Road, the branch flows east in a natural course and ravine until it meets the central branch at 43°47′08"N 79°13′23"W. The total length is approximately 7.7 km (4.8 mi).
The central branch begins at the exit of a culvert north-west of Middlefield Road and Finch Avenue East at 43°48′49"N 79°15′40"W. The branch flows south east, then east under Middlefield to 43°48′49.5"N 79°14′55.5"W where a short 900 m (2,953 ft) tributary branch running south joins it. The then south-east under the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, Finch Avenue and Markham Road, then south-east under Highway 401. From this point on, it flows in a natural bed and ravine. It then travels 500 m (1,640 ft) to the confluence with the west branch. The branch then travels south-east under Military Trail
, the first crossing point north of Lake Ontario built in the early settlement period, and Ellesmere Road. South of Ellesmere, the branch enters Morningside Park (Toronto)
, where the tributary West Highland Creek
joins at 43°46′27"N 79°11′57"W. It travels east through the park, under Morningside Avenue and past some of the outdoor sports facilities and the Dean's Residence of the University of Toronto Scarborough
. It continues south-east under Old Kingston Road
, Kingston Road
and Lawrence Avenue
East and through Colonel Danforth Park to meet with the east branch, before flowing into Lake Ontario at 43°45′59"N 79°08′43"W. The total length is approximately 13.5 km (8.4 mi).
The east branch rises immediately south of Highway 401, west of Meadowvale Road at 43°47′56"N 79°10′22"W. It travels south south-east to Ellesmere Road, before entering a culvert. The branch then emerges east of Meadowvale Road south of Ellesmere, before heading south-west under Kingston Road and Highway 2A
. After a further 800 m (2,625 ft), it turns south and is joined by a small stream just before Lawrence Avenue East. It passes under the road and continues south until it joins the central branch just north of Lake Ontario. The total length is approximately 4.5 km (2.8 mi). Unlike the other parts of the creek system, this branch does not flow through any deep ravines.
and guide the river past obstacles. For example, there are a large number of areas where the river is lined with rock cages
. There are small dam
s to even out the flow in areas where upstream storage reservoir
s are possible, increasing its depth. The river travels through culverts under some major streets. In addition, many of the city's storm sewers
drain into the river. The valley of Highland Creek contains a number of interconnected parks which have a system of paved bike and walking paths. As a result of these numerous channel modification projects, mostly implemented in the 1960s and 1970s, much of the creek does not follow its natural path. This is in contrast to the nearby Rouge River
, which has fewer in-stream barriers and extensive riparian and floodplain vegetation, and where a wider variety of wildlife, including some climax forest species, can be found.
s beginning in 1937 (Kingston Road) and continuing through the mid-1960s (Lawrence Avenue East, Ellesmere Road). Although the creek itself is rarely more than 20 m (66 ft) wide, the ravine it runs through commonly is over 100 m (328 ft) wide and 30 m (98 ft) deep. During the early part of the 20th century, it also blocked the progression of the Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company
line along Kingston Road, which was unable to negotiate the grade into the creek where it met Kingston Road.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, a new town plan developed in the valley between Kingston Road and the eastern crossing of Lawrence Avenue. The primary road remains as the park access road to Colonel Danforth Park, but the remainder, with few exceptions, was washed out during Hurricane Hazel in October 1954.
is also the name of a neighbourhood on the east side of the creek at Old Kingston Road. Opposite the former village of Highland Creek is West Hill
, named for its position on the tablelands above the valley.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
district of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, emptying into Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
at the eastern end of the Scarborough Bluffs
Scarborough Bluffs
The Scarborough Bluffs is an escarpment in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Forming much of the eastern portion of Toronto's waterfront, it is located along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. At its highest point, the escarpment rises above its foot and spans a length of...
. It is home to several species of fish including trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, and bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
. It is a meandering river which, like most rivers in Toronto (including the Don
Don River (Toronto)
The Don River is one of two rivers bounding the original settled area of Toronto, Ontario along the shore of Lake Ontario, the other being the Humber River to the west. The Don is formed from two rivers, the East and West Branches, that meet about north of Lake Ontario while flowing southward into...
and Humber
Humber River (Ontario)
The Humber River is one of two major rivers on either side of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the other being the Don River to the east. It was designated a Canadian Heritage River on September 24, 1999....
), travels through a glacial
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
ravine formed after the last Ice Age
Wisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
. The Highland Creek watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, including tributaries, are almost entirely contained within Scarborough.
Hydrology
Highland Creek consists of four branches, treated here in order from west to east. The names used for the branches indicate only geographic position, and should not be taken as proper names.The north-west branch begins at the exit of a culvert at Finch Avenue East at 43°48′11"N 79°17′17"W. It flows south, then south-east and passes under the intersection of Midland Avenue
Midland Avenue
Midland Avenue is a primary east-west avenue in the Grant City and Midland Beach neighborhoods of New York City, in the borough of Staten Island, New York....
and Huntingwood Drive. The branch continues east under Brimley Road
Brimley Road
Brimley Road is a north-south street in Scarborough and York Region, Ontario, Canada. The road carries 32000 vehicles daily as of May 2007 and is classified as a major arterial road by the city of Toronto....
, then parallels the road south until just north of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
tracks. The branch then heads under the tracks east and under McCowan Road, before joining the west branch at 43°47′30.5"N 79°15′33"W. The entire length of the branch has been was artificially channelled and straightened, and much of it lined with a concrete bed, in the 1970s after a scare about mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es carrying encephalitis
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness, and fatigue...
breeding in stagnant creek water (see also "Threats from Development" below). The total length is approximately 3.4 km (2.1 mi).
The west branch begins at the exit of a culvert just southeast of Brimley Road and McNicoll Road at 43°48′54"N 79°16′51"W. This is the most northerly point of any part of the Highland Creek system including all tributaries. It flows south-east under Finch Avenue East, McCowan Road and Middlefield Road. The branch travels 250 m (820 ft) southwest, then south to its confluence with the north-west branch. It continues southeast under Sheppard Avenue East
Sheppard Avenue
Sheppard Avenue is an east-west principal arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A small portion of a continuation of the road in Pickering, Ontario is also called Sheppard Avenue.-History:...
, then south under Highway 401
Highway 401 (Ontario)
King's Highway 401, also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway and colloquially as the four-oh-one, is a 400-Series Highway in the Canadian province of Ontario stretching from Windsor to the Quebec border...
, and then a further 150 m (492 ft) south. The entire length up to this point has been artificially channelled, straightened and lined with a concrete bed. The next 1.6 km (0.994196378639691 mi) stretch, however, a crescent shape that proceeds east to a point just west of Markham Road and which had been previously altered, has now been restored to a more natural state with gentle meanders and shallow pools. From Markham Road, the branch flows east in a natural course and ravine until it meets the central branch at 43°47′08"N 79°13′23"W. The total length is approximately 7.7 km (4.8 mi).
The central branch begins at the exit of a culvert north-west of Middlefield Road and Finch Avenue East at 43°48′49"N 79°15′40"W. The branch flows south east, then east under Middlefield to 43°48′49.5"N 79°14′55.5"W where a short 900 m (2,953 ft) tributary branch running south joins it. The then south-east under the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, Finch Avenue and Markham Road, then south-east under Highway 401. From this point on, it flows in a natural bed and ravine. It then travels 500 m (1,640 ft) to the confluence with the west branch. The branch then travels south-east under Military Trail
Military Trail
Military Trail may refer to:*Florida State Road 809 in Florida, United States*Military Trail, a road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. See Danforth Avenue....
, the first crossing point north of Lake Ontario built in the early settlement period, and Ellesmere Road. South of Ellesmere, the branch enters Morningside Park (Toronto)
Morningside Park (Toronto)
Morningside Park is a regional park located in Scarborough, Toronto. The park occupies most of the deep valley of Highland Creek where it borders the communities of West Hill and Highland Creek. Spanning , the park includes picnic areas, public washrooms, parking and footpaths which connect to...
, where the tributary West Highland Creek
West Highland Creek
West Highland Creek is a river in Scarborough, part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a tributary of Highland Creek in the Lake Ontario drainage basin...
joins at 43°46′27"N 79°11′57"W. It travels east through the park, under Morningside Avenue and past some of the outdoor sports facilities and the Dean's Residence of the University of Toronto Scarborough
University of Toronto Scarborough
The University of Toronto Scarborough is a satellite campus of the University of Toronto. Based in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the campus is set upon suburban parkland in the residential neighbourhood of Highland Creek...
. It continues south-east under Old Kingston Road
Kingston Road (Toronto)
Kingston Road is the southernmost major road along the eastern portion of Toronto, specifically in the districts of East York and Scarborough. Until 1998, it formed a significant portion of Highway 2...
, Kingston Road
Kingston Road (Toronto)
Kingston Road is the southernmost major road along the eastern portion of Toronto, specifically in the districts of East York and Scarborough. Until 1998, it formed a significant portion of Highway 2...
and Lawrence Avenue
Lawrence Avenue
Lawrence Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is divided into east and west portions by Yonge Street, the dividing line of east-west streets in Toronto....
East and through Colonel Danforth Park to meet with the east branch, before flowing into Lake Ontario at 43°45′59"N 79°08′43"W. The total length is approximately 13.5 km (8.4 mi).
The east branch rises immediately south of Highway 401, west of Meadowvale Road at 43°47′56"N 79°10′22"W. It travels south south-east to Ellesmere Road, before entering a culvert. The branch then emerges east of Meadowvale Road south of Ellesmere, before heading south-west under Kingston Road and Highway 2A
Highway 2A (Ontario)
King's Highway 2A, commonly referred to as Highway 2A, was the designation of five separate provincially maintained highways in the Canadian province of Ontario. Highway 2A was an alternate route to Highway 2 in London, Chatham and Cornwall; these routes were all eventually redesignated...
. After a further 800 m (2,625 ft), it turns south and is joined by a small stream just before Lawrence Avenue East. It passes under the road and continues south until it joins the central branch just north of Lake Ontario. The total length is approximately 4.5 km (2.8 mi). Unlike the other parts of the creek system, this branch does not flow through any deep ravines.
Threats from Development
Due to development in Scarborough, which has substantially increased the amount of water that historically travelled through the river, there are a number of artificial diversions to decrease erosionErosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
and guide the river past obstacles. For example, there are a large number of areas where the river is lined with rock cages
Gabion
Gabions are cages, cylinders, or boxes filled with soil or sand that are used in civil engineering, road building, and military applications. For erosion control caged riprap is used. For dams or foundation construction, cylindrical metal structures are used...
. There are small dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s to even out the flow in areas where upstream storage reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s are possible, increasing its depth. The river travels through culverts under some major streets. In addition, many of the city's storm sewers
Storm drain
A storm drain, storm sewer , stormwater drain or drainage well system or simply a drain or drain system is designed to drain excess rain and ground water from paved streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and roofs. Storm drains vary in design from small residential dry wells to large municipal systems...
drain into the river. The valley of Highland Creek contains a number of interconnected parks which have a system of paved bike and walking paths. As a result of these numerous channel modification projects, mostly implemented in the 1960s and 1970s, much of the creek does not follow its natural path. This is in contrast to the nearby Rouge River
Rouge River (Ontario)
The Rouge River is a two river system. Little Rouge and Rouge River are in the east and the northeast parts of Toronto and begin in the Oak Ridges Moraine in Richmond Hill and Whitchurch-Stouffville...
, which has fewer in-stream barriers and extensive riparian and floodplain vegetation, and where a wider variety of wildlife, including some climax forest species, can be found.
History
Highland Creek historically formed a natural barrier to transportation in the eastern part of Scarborough, with the single exception of Military Trail, blocking the eastern sections of Lawrence Avenue East (at two locations), Morningside Avenue, and Kingston Road until the construction of longer-span bridgeBridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s beginning in 1937 (Kingston Road) and continuing through the mid-1960s (Lawrence Avenue East, Ellesmere Road). Although the creek itself is rarely more than 20 m (66 ft) wide, the ravine it runs through commonly is over 100 m (328 ft) wide and 30 m (98 ft) deep. During the early part of the 20th century, it also blocked the progression of the Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company
Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company
Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company was established in August 1892 to provide street railway service beyond the then City of Toronto, Ontario to the Township of Scarborough....
line along Kingston Road, which was unable to negotiate the grade into the creek where it met Kingston Road.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, a new town plan developed in the valley between Kingston Road and the eastern crossing of Lawrence Avenue. The primary road remains as the park access road to Colonel Danforth Park, but the remainder, with few exceptions, was washed out during Hurricane Hazel in October 1954.
Communities along the creek
Highland CreekHighland Creek, Toronto
Highland Creek is a neighbourhood in south-east Scarborough in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that lies along the southern portion of the river of the same name...
is also the name of a neighbourhood on the east side of the creek at Old Kingston Road. Opposite the former village of Highland Creek is West Hill
West Hill, Toronto
-Location and principal features:It is located in the eastern end of the city, in the former city of Scarborough. Scarborough was merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new "City of Toronto" in 1998...
, named for its position on the tablelands above the valley.