Installation of Turtle Fence and Turbidity Curtain: Public Notice

The City of Kingston hereby gives notice that a submission has been added to the Common Project Search, Navigation Protection Program, pursuant to the Canadian Navigable Waters Act described herein and its description. Pursuant to paragraph 4(1) and 9(1) of the said Act, The City of Kingston has deposited with the Minister of Transport, The City of Kingston on the on-line Common Project Search (http://cps.canada.c a/) and under registry number 53, a description of the following work: Installation of a turbidity curtain and turtle fencing in the Great Cataraqui River from west shore (John Counter Blvd) to the east shore (Gore Road) in Kingston, Ontario. The navigation channel will remain open with a clearance of 75 metres on either side of the navigation channel in the Cataraqui River.

Construction Method and Access

The selection of the preferred construction method was based on a number of technical studies, including Geotechnical Studies as well as Hydrotechnical Analysis. 

• The preferred construction method is the Causeway-Trestle Solution (CTS), a hybrid construction approach.
• The CTS involves a combination of temporary causeways and a temporary work bridge (trestle) to access the piers and superstructure.
• A ferry barge or lifting span bridge will be used to transport equipment and material over the navigable channel.
• Based on the peat layer thickness of the river bed of a specific section of the causeway, the causeway area has been classed into three zones where three causeway designs are proposed to be utilized.
• The causeways would to be progressively placed until the end of 2019 and would be progressively removed between 2020 to 2021

Additional Geotechnical Investigations in Fall 2018 Findings:

• Confirmation that permanent design for bridge foundations adequate (concerning lateral capacity)
• Very deep bedrock on west
• A determination that Silty Clay overburden does not have the capacity to support vertical loads of piles (trestle or permanent

Causeway Access

• The causeway consists of the main causeway access and fingers that will allow access to the piers
• Consistent, shallow water depth (1.5-2m)Use of locally sourced rock fill material is available and re-used on project
• Safety during construction

Trestle Access

• Trestle consists of the main trestle spans and fingers that allow access to the Piers
• Suitable rock depth for piles (20m)
• Same open dimension as Cataraqui River at Belle Island (same hydraulic conditions

Considerations for construction methods

Water Quality           

• Turbidity curtains and water quality monitoring established during causeway installation and removal

Vegetation

• Milfoil is an invasive species and a hardy propagator, and after removing rockfill causeway to 100mm below original elevation, natural re-deposition and regrowth will occur rapidly

Benthic Community

• Existing benthic fauna is relatively impoverished in the fine silty sediments of the Cataraqui River
• The remnant causeway materials will enhance benthic diversity in the short term until redeposition returns it to the existing condition

Connectivity

• The passage open with trestle is as wide as the Cataraqui River is at Belle Island and this is where the flow passes
• Five additional passageways will be constructed in case any species wish to pass north to south