Carruthers and Duffins Creek

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January 7, 2022:  Much in the news these days, the upland headwater areas of Carruthers and Duffins Creeks are facing a host of threats, including the planned expansion of Lake Ridge Road to four lanes, increased development along that road, the proposed Pickering Airport and surrounding industrial/commercial/ residential campus, a potential sprawling development called Veraine, with from 60,000 to 150,000 people depending on which prospectus you have read, and expanded aggregate operations. The footprints of these proposals will impact headwater flows, biodiversity, and prime agricultural land.

A thriving community of individuals and organizations has been working diligently on these issues, and had a strong role in the withdrawal of another sprawling proposal, for a hospital campus in the Carruthers headwaters, in an area some now seek to be added to the Greenbelt. While the OHI was involved to a minor degree in some of these issues, we think that the threats presented call for a strategic approach across both watersheds, similar to that being taken by the Credit Headwaters Alliance. 

As a result, we created the maps below, with their proposed delineation of upland headwater areas that need improved protection, and are seeking to facilitate the creation of a Carruthers & Duffins Headwater Alliance to identify priority issues and recommend actions to address them. If you are part of a group we have not yet contacted but are interested in joining the Alliance, please contact us at andrew@ontarioheadwaters.ca.    

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We thank Alexis del Mundo for producing the drawings below, under a grant to the OHI from Canada Summer Jobs. Please note that each map has a legend, a layers list, and a details tab you can find on the left-hand side of your screen. Through the layers list, you can turn on and off layers as you desire.

In addition, many items on each map can be clicked to open an informational popup box displaying links to educational documents, photos, and other key descriptions. On the details tab, you can find varying watershed statistics. There is also a toggle function on each map to change between the default streets view and a satellite imagery view, which can give a better indication of geographical topography and natural features.

Lastly, please note that these drawings are in draft format. The steering committee being formed in early 2022 will be asked to help us with clarifications and needed details, such as where the line to delineate the upland headwaters area should be. In addition, it needs layers showing key features, such as the Greenbelt, to be installed. 

Click on the buttons below to see the map.