Keats Way: Tributary Channel to Clair Creek restoration & storm sewer bypass

Due to some unforeseen conditions on-site, the contractor was not able to install the final pieces of the storm bypass sewer. Additional concrete culvert/sewer pieces need to be manufactured. As a result, the schedule has been changed to complete other minor works as well as address the issue of broken water valves while we wait for the additional culvert/sewer pieces to be made.

Forecast work for the next two weeks.

1. November 9 – Complete minor concrete works on new storm bypass sewer at Keats/Karen Walk and Keats Way.
2. Date TBD – Complete concrete encasement of underground hydro crossing Keats Way at Keats Way Place. Residents of Keats Way Place should expect some disruptions getting in and out of cul-de-sac due to work vehicles in the vicinity. Please speak to one of the workers on-site if you’re unsure about how to access Keats Way Place by vehicle. The work is to be completed under the supervision of Enova Power and date is TBD in consultation with Enova.
3. November 13 – Replace valve on watermain near Keats Way and McDougall. Water shutdown and repair will start at 4:00pm to avoid disruptions to Keats Way Public School. Residents affected by shutdown will receive notice in the mail.
4. November 14 – Replace valve on watermain in intersection of Keats Walk and Keats Way. Residents affected by shutdown will be provided with notices in the mail.
5. Week of November 20 – Receive final culvert/sewer pieces. Crane in final pieces of storm bypass sewer. Begin preparing for curbs and asphalt.

Although the contractor will be repairing two valves within projects limits, there is still one more valve on McDougall south of Keats Way that City will need to replace following construction. Residents affected by water shutdowns from the repair next week should not be affected by the valve repair on McDougall following construction.

This update provides information about an upcoming water shutoff for local residents and a schedule for upcoming work.

Water Shutdown

An unexpected issue encountered on-site will result in the need for one final planned water shut off as part of this project. The water shutoff is anticipated to affect residents of Keats Walk, Keats Way Place and Keats Way Public School. The shut off is currently planned to start at 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 1, 2023 in order to avoid shutting off water to Keats Way Public School while the school is open. Notices will be delivered to the mailbox of affected residents.

Please note there are several valves in the neighbourhood that have been discovered to be non-operable as a result of this project and City of Waterloo utilities is planning to replace these valves following completion of construction. This will result in additional water shut offs to residents in the area at a later date.

Construction Update and Local Access

Work for the next two weeks will primarily occur near the intersection of Keats Way and Keats/Karen Walk. Residents of Keats Way Place will access their cul-de-sac via Keats Way and McDougall. Residents of Keats Walk will access their cul-de-sac via Keats Way and Amos. There will be more construction materials and equipment in the area.

Forecast work for the next two weeks (Oct 30 to Nov 10).

1. Continue installing bypass sewer sections up to intersection of Keats Way and Keats Walk.
2. Adjust watermain on Keats Way near Keats Walk. Currently planned for Wednesday November 1, water shut off starting at 6 p.m.
3. Use a crane to install “flow split” structure near Keats Way and Keats Walk. Currently planned for Monday, November 6, 2023.
4. Install new storm sewer connecting Karen Walk to new bypass storm sewer.
5. Rebuild granular road structure.

Starting on Monday October 30^th, the construction work will close the intersection of Keats Way and Karen/Keats Walk to all but local vehicle traffic for the remainder of the project. Simultaneous with this closure, the Region of Waterloo is closing Erb Street West from Amos to University for one week.

During this time, residents of Keats Walk should still have access in and out of the cul-de-sac via Keats Way to the west, however there will be frequent construction traffic in the area and materials stored along the roadway, so please do not hesitate to ask one of the workers on-site about access if you’re unsure. Residents of Keats Way Place will have access to the east towards McDougall.

The current schedule has the intersection of Keats Way and McDougall being paved with asphalt on Saturday October 28^th. Residents of McDougall between Erb and Keats Way will be able to access their street from Keats Way via the repaved intersection of Keats Way and McDougall. If the intersection is not able to be paved due to weather, it will be re-opened on gravel.

The sidewalk on the north side of Keats Way, immediately east of Keats Walk, will be closed. Additionally, the roadway crossing of Karen Walk at Keats Way will be blocked. The crossing guard will be relocated to Keats Way and McDougall for the remainder of the project. For children walking to Keats Way Public School, please try to adhere to the following:

1. For students approaching from the west, cross to the south side of Keats Way at Amos Avenue using the crossing guard there. At Karen Walk, use the west side sidewalk to walk south, then cross Karen Walk once past the construction zone.
2. For students approaching from the east, or who live on Keats Way Place, use the relocated crossing guard at McDougall to cross to the south side of Keats Way.

Due to the closure of Erb Street West from Amos to University during the week of the 30^th, the current detour along Fischer-Hallman-Erb-University will be altered such that motorists will stay on Fischer-Hallman or University Avenue until they intersect.

A watermain break has occurred at the intersection of Keats Way and Keats Way Place. The break is not directly related to any construction work occurring on-site. The City has provided hard copy notices to residents of Keats Way Place regarding the schedule for the repair of the watermain. Water will be maintained to Keats Way Public School until the end of after school programming, the repair is scheduled to begin at approximately 6 p.m.

Residents of Keats Way Place are advised to move their vehicles to nearby streets in advance of the repair work, which will block the intersection. Community enforcement has been made aware of the situation and will not be ticketing residents who are parked overnight or exceed the normal parking limit during the day, on the following streets: McDougall, Keats Walk, Karen Walk and Helene Crescent. Residents are still required to follow all other regular restrictions such as not parking in the opposite direction of traffic, not parking within 3 metres of a fire hydrant, not parking within 1.5 metres of a driveway entrance, etc. For more information on regular parking restrictions please review the City’s traffic and parking bylaw on the City’s website.

Parking enforcement is a manual process and mistakes are occasionally made. If you receive a ticket for parking overnight or longer than three hours please contact the project manager with a copy of the ticket to determine if it can be cancelled.

Construction updates are being provided as a courtesy to keep residents appraised of upcoming work. Due to the nature of construction, schedules can quickly change and residents should be prepared for unexpected changes.

Upcoming work:

1. Lowering of watermain to remove conflicts with storm bypass sewer
2. Adjusting third party utilities (e.g. Rogers, Bell, hydro, gas) to remove conflicts with storm bypass

During some shutdowns, your water may be turned off. Residents affects by water shutdowns will be notified by a letter from the contractor, so please keep an eye out for that letter in your mailbox. Some tips to alleviate the inconvenience of a shutdown:

1. Fill up pitchers of water for drinking and put them in the fridge.
2. Fill up sinks with water in advance for hand washing or dishwashing.
3. Fill up buckets or a bath tub with water that can be used for flushing toilets. Toilets can be flushed by filling up the tank at the back of the toilet after a flush, using the water from the buckets and bath tub. Tank-less toilets can be flushed by quickly dumping the water from the bucket into the bowl. Be careful not to splash!

As of this update, residents of Keats Way Place have access during working hours via Keats Way and McDougall. The means of access may vary from day to day based on the location of work for that day so please be aware and take your cues from the layout of the pylons and direction from workers on-site.

Construction on the Keats Way storm bypass is scheduled to begin on Monday September 18. Steed & Evans will be mobilizing materials and equipment to site and setting up barricades to delineate the construction zone.

Limits of Work and Phasing

The project involves installing a new bypass storm sewer from the Clair Creek culvert (just east of McDougall) to Keats/Karen Walk. The first phase of the project involves closing Keats Way from just east of the Clair Creek culvert to the east side of the intersection of Keats Way and Keats/Karen Walk. The intersection of Keats Way and Keats/Karen Walk will remain open for the first phase of the project. Once the installation of the sewer approaches the intersection, it will be fully closed to vehicle traffic.

Local Access

Sidewalks on both sides of Keats Way are to remain open during construction, with one exception towards the end of the project. The sidewalk on the north side of Keats Way will be blocked towards the end of the project for the installation of the bypass sewer. When this occurs, pedestrians will be advised to use the sidewalk on the south side.

Although the roadway will be closed, local vehicle traffic to the cul-de-sacs of Keats Walk and Keats Way Place will be maintained. The bypass storm sewer is to be installed under the eastbound lane of traffic. For the majority of the project, access is anticipated to be maintained via the westbound lane of traffic on Keats Way. However, there will be times where the means of local access for vehicles changes due to the complete closure of the road and alternate routes are required. Please be prepared to follow local directions.

Pedestrian and School Bus Access to Keatsway Public School

Sidewalks on Keats Way are to be kept open during construction, with one exception. A small section of the north side sidewalk will be closed towards the end of construction. Children walking to school can continue to use the sidewalks on Keats Way.

Click image for larger map

The school crossing guard at the pedestrian refuge island near Keats Way Place will be temporarily relocated to Keats Way and Keats/Karen Walk for the first phase of construction, when the intersection of Keats Way and Karen Walk is open. Once the intersection is fully closed, the crossing guard will be temporarily relocated to Keats Way and McDougall. Once construction is complete, the guard will return to a rebuilt pedestrian refuge island near Keats Way Place.

The pickup and drop-off location for school buses will be relocated to Karen Walk, adjacent the school staff parking lot south of Keats Way and north of the parking lot entrance. This will continue as long as the intersection of Keats Way and Karen Walk remains open as buses will be able to exit westbound onto Keats Way. Towards the end of construction, when the intersection is closed to traffic, the pickup/drop-off location will move to Karen Walk south of the entrance to the school parking lot. This will allow school buses to exit via Helene Crescent.

Parents who pickup and drop-off children at the start and end of the school day are advised to park further south on Karen Walk or further away on Helene Crescent in order to ensure there is space for school bus parking and to be able to turn at the intersection of Karen Walk and Helene Crescent.

Grand River Transit Re-routing

GRT Route 29 Keats-University will be diverted for the duration of construction. GRT has indicated that the bus will be re-routed via Amos-Erb-University. Please check for detours on Grand River Transit’s detours webpage:

https://www.grt.ca/en/schedules-maps/detours.aspx

Waste Removal on Cul-de-sacs

Residents of Keats Walk and Keats Way Place are advised that they are to put their waste out weekly, as normal. The contractor will work with the waste pickup services to get access to the cul-de-sacs on waste day. If the cul-de-sac cannot be accessed by the vehicle, the contractor is responsible for ensuring that all bags and bins are moved to an accessible location for pickup. The contractor will return the bins to the roadside in front of your house at the end of the day, please put your address on bins.

Parcel and Medical Supply Delivery Service

Parcel delivery may be affected during construction. Frequently, parcel delivery can be maintained during construction, however the decision to make a delivery is typically up to the individual delivery driver. The City does not have any influence as to whether a driver deems it safe to make a delivery. It’s advised that residents minimize the use of delivery service during construction to avoid the potential for parcels to be held up.

Residents who receive deliveries of essential medical supplies should contact the City’s project manager to discuss. If the contractor is aware of the timing of such deliveries they can frequently assist in making the delivery, if needed.

Telecommunication Services

The Keats Way storm bypass project won’t involve many crossings of telecommunication (i.e. Bell, Rogers) lines, however there will be some crossings. It is possible that this work could cut a telecom cable, especially if it’s not well located.

In the event that telecom services are cut off, please inform one of the workers on-site followed by your telecom provider. The contractor will contact the telecom and coordinate the repair, however previous experience has shown that telecoms will expedite the repair if individual customers complain directly.

Residents who work from home or otherwise rely on telecom services such as cable and internet during the day are advised to have a contingency plan in place in the event that a telecom cable is severed. An example of a contingency for those who require internet to work from home would be to tether your work station to a WiFi hotspot created using a cell phone in the short term, and moving your work station to another home or location with public WiFi to minimize the possibility of data overage charges. It is advised that employers are informed of the upcoming construction in advance.

Notice of Construction for Keats Way Storm Bypass Project

This is to provide notice that construction on Keats Way for the Storm Bypass is tentatively scheduled to start mid-September 2023. An exact date is not yet available and is dependent on timing for delivery of the storm sewer pipe that will be installed. Steed and Evans Limited has been retained by the City as the general contractor to complete the construction for this project. The City’s engineering consultant, Aecom, will have a full-time inspector on-site to oversee the work of the contractor and liaise with neighbourhood residents. Once a tentative date is available it will be posted on this page, and additional details of what to expect during construction will also be provided once available.

We now expect that the Clair Creek channel rehabilitation portion of the project will be completed in 2024, once construction on the sewer bypass is complete and can be used as a diversion for storm water during construction.

Work on the Keats Way bypass storm sewer continues to progress towards construction. An application for approval for both the sewer bypass project and tributary channel rehabilitation project was sent to the Grand River Conservation Authority. Provided there are no concerns, approval is anticipated within the next 3-5 weeks.

Concurrently with the application for approval, the City will complete an environmental investigation along Keats Way and the tributary channel. This investigation is required by the new Excess Soil regulation. The investigation will involve the use of a drilling rig to collect soil samples along Keats Way, and hand held soil sampling equipment to collect samples along the tributary channel. This investigation is anticipated to be completed over the course of one day. The investigation is anticipated to be completed in the next 2-3 weeks, pending availability of drilling contractors and following receipt of underground utility locates.

Pending receipt of approvals, the anticipated construction schedule is:

Start Date: late May/early June 2023

Completion Date: late summer 2023

Tributary Channel Rehabilitation

Start Date: fall 2023 or mid-July 2024

Completion Date: late fall 2023 or late summer 2024

The tributary channel rehabilitation construction will be completed following the storm sewer bypass. Construction may need to be delayed to 2024 if there is insufficient time to complete the project in 2023.

Should you have any concerns or should you require any additional information you may submit submit them via the Questions tab at anytime, or directly email one of the members of the Project Team.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our neighbourhood meeting on December 1. If you were unable to attend or are looking for follow-up information, we have added some additional files to this project page. A reminder that the City lead for this project is now Gavin Vermeer, and he is the main point of contact moving forward. Additional project information now available includes:

• the meeting presentation is available for anyone unable to attend
• a frequently asked questions section with questions from the meeting
• the technical drawings, including floodplain and tree removals, are available in the Document Library section

The technical drawings include:

• Keats Way Creek Restoration Erosion and Sediment Control – C-205 Identifies limits of creek work, blue line showing legal easement boundaries, predicted areas to be disturbed as well as construction access plans.
• Keats Way Creek Restoration Proposed – C-206 Identifies the new creek design including areas where soft armouring will be installed and areas where hard armour stone will be installed.
• Keats Way Creek Restoration Removals – C-203 Identifies removals such as pedestrian bridges and eave troughs entering the easement. Trees required to be removed are NOT identified in this drawing.
• Keats Way Creek Restoration Removals – C-204 Identifies trees identified as may needing to be removed. Each tree identified for removal is numbered and listed in the tree removal chart.
• Keats Way Creek Flood Plain Figures Two drawings that show the existing flooding conditions and the proposed conditions after the bypass and the creek restoration have been completed. The flooding conditions are modelled for a 1 in 5 years storm event, which has a 20% chance of happening in any particular year.
• Keats Way Storm Bypass Existing Conditions and Removals-C-100 Identifies the limits of the new storm sewer bypass work, including the area of disturbance, which side of the road will be under construction.
• Keats Way Storm Bypass Proposed Conditions Opt A –C-200 Identifies the details of the proposed design for the bypass for the west side of the project limits.
• Keats Way Storm Bypass Proposed Conditions Opt A – C-201 Identifies the details of the proposed design for the bypass for the east side of the project limits.
• Keats Way Storm Bypass Tree Protection and Removals – C-204 Identifies the trees identified as needing to be removed for the new storm sewer bypass construction.

If you are unable to access any of these files and require this information in another format, please let Gavin know.

We understand that not all residents will be able to attend the neighbourhood meeting. The information is presented here for your information, and we encourage you to connect with our project team directly if you require this information in an alternate format, or if you have questions. The presentation boards are also available.

Date: December 1, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Keatsway Public School: 323 Keats Way, Waterloo, ON N2L 5V9

This project involves the restoration of a portion of Clair Creek between Keats Way and McDougall Road to reduce the risk of erosion, flooding and damage to private property in the area. Recommended works include replacing retaining walls supporting the creek bank, and installing a new storm bypass along Keats Way to reduce flooding risks.

Project priorities

• Protect existing building structures
• Reduce risk to public safety
• Reduce risk of flooding to the adjacent properties

In the fall of 2021, the City reached out to the neighbourhood to gather information about property owner’s experiences. A number of properties had experienced flooding from Clair Creek, while some properties experienced no flooding at all. This information was used to help determine the need and the scope of the project and to help focus efforts on areas that were experiencing the worst flooding.

Existing site conditions and current flood mapping

The section of Clair Creek from Keats Way to McDougall Road is defined as “a confined channel with gabion basket bank treatments”. The existing municipal storm sewer on Keats Way, west of Keats Walk, discharges to a tributary via a culvert and flows around the existing residential properties on Keats Way Place. The tributary ultimately meets with Clair Creek, west of McDougall Avenue.

Generally, the creek channel consists of gabion baskets along the majority of the banks of the creek, with grassed areas and trees on either side of the overbanks. The gabion baskets are failing in multiple locations along the creek corridor, within 5 metres of buildings on private property in certain areas.

Our project team has completed a great deal of preliminary work to help come up with the best options for the creek restoration. That work included an assessment of plants and animals in the area (no species-at-risk or species-of-conservation-concern plants or animals were identified, and 577 trees were recorded), and looking at how the creek flow changes. The ground and subsurface were assessed, and buried utilities were located. Flood modelling and mapping was also done.

This area is currently recognized by Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) as floodplain. The floodplain is based on regional storm events (Hurricane Hazel). Flood modelling and mapping helps us identify areas that may be at risk of flooding during severe storms. Residential properties in the area are regulated by the GRCA. This means that any construction work or development activities on these properties will need a GRCA permit, in addition to a building permit or other approvals from the City and other agencies.

As part of the flood modelling, we determined that a creek bypass would be needed to prevent flooding on residential properties during a 5-year and 25-year storm event.

Given the information gathered by the project team, we then looked at alternatives for restoration using the following considerations:

• Access to the area through properties for construction, and how much the alternative will cost to construct and maintain.
• Minimizing impacts to buildings and roads.
• No increase to flooding or erosion.
• Maintaining existing infrastructure, such as pedestrian crossings over the creek and the two storm sewers from Keats Way and Keats Way Place that empty to the creek
• Natural channel design, with appropriate landscaping to stabilize the creek banks
• Consideration for natural habitats and fish passage through the corridor.

Creek stabilization

The preferred method for creek restoration will involve the use of soft armoured walls and living walls where appropriate, as well as hard armoured walls.

Soft armouring techniques such as a “living wall” can be used to reinforce the slope and provide erosion protection in areas where there is sufficient space and less risk to public safety or flooding. In some parts of the study area, tree cover over portions of the creek might make it difficult to grow vegetation on the slope. In those areas we would use appropriate grass seed mix and plants that thrive in partial sun or shaded areas.

Using soft-armouring in areas where the existing retaining wall is within 5 metres of a residential structure would be difficult. Therefore, in those areas hard-armouring would be used.

A typical armoured stone retaining wall consists of a combination of hard and soft armourstone. It includes a hard armoured wall, which consists of large, rectangular blocks of stone that are placed on top of each other forming a wall along the streambank. The large rectangular stone blocks make up the main structural component, with the stone’s size and weight it can help to prevent damage from flowing water.

Property owners can contact the project team directly to discuss which technique will be used on their property.

Creek bypass

Four options were developed and reviewed for the proposed bypass:

• Option #1: Do nothing for bypass, and only restore the creek
• Option #2a: Discharge to existing McDougall Road Culvert
• Option #2b: Discharge directly to Clair Creek
• Option #3: Underground storage with controlled discharge

Doing nothing is not recommended, since restoring the creek will not address flooding concerns during large storm events. The three other options all provide considerably better flood control during a major storm event, with option 2a being preferred as the most cost-effective, and least invasive for construction.

Construction timeline and information

• Winter 2023: start creek restoration
• Spring 2023: bypass construction (continues through Summer 2023)
• Summer 2023: continue and finish creek restoration

Construction work will involve:

• Installation of cofferdams
• Temporary lane closures on Keats Way
• Removals (of existing gabion baskets, landscaping, etc.)
• Installation of the preferred solution

Additional removals will include some trees, landscaped areas and some creek crossings. A Tree Protection Plan will be in place for those trees remaining in the project area, and landowners will be notified to remove any plantings or gardens that they want to retain before construction begins. The project team will work with landowners to restore impacted areas. Several existing creek crossing structures will also need to be removed for the work to be done. Discussion will be held with landowners to wish to maintain a creek crossing so that no damage will be done to the restoration work.

Our goal is to maintain work within easement as much as possible. If workers are required to work outside the easement, homeowners will be contacted.

Construction along Keats Way will include lane closures along portions of the street (along the school) and traffic control between Keats Walk and McDougall Road would be used as needed to ensure safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists, and maintain two-way one-lane traffic through the work area. The work would not impede access to Keats Walk, Karen Walk, and Keats Way Place. Bus stops will also be relocated. Traffic control plans will be finalized before the start of construction and landowners will be notified.

Immediate next steps for this project involve completing the detailed design of the work, including construction drawings and specifications, tendering of the construction work and approval of the tender, followed by construction.

If you have any questions, our project team will be happy to address them.