Notice of Commencement

Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Hidden Valley Flood Risk Reduction

The City of Kitchener (the City) retained Matrix Solutions Inc. (Matrix) to provide a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) for flood risk reduction in the Hidden Valley Creek subwatershed. There are several flood vulnerable areas and erosion vulnerable reaches in the downstream portion of the Hidden Valley Creek subwatershed close to Hidden Valley Road. This EA is being undertaken to define a flood risk reduction solution to reduce existing flood risks and support future development in the Hidden Valley community.

The Process

The project is being carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act and it is being planned under Schedule B. The intent of this project is to identify solutions and design alternatives to reduce the flood hazard in the vulnerable downstream reaches of the Hidden Valley Creek subwatershed. A key component of the EA process will be consultation with interested stakeholders (public, landowners, and agencies).

Matrix will conduct a detailed background review and hydrologic/hydraulic analysis of the study area and identify potential solutions to reduce flood hazard. Upon completion of the analysis, Matrix will prepare a Project Report for the City and for submission to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), which will be available for public review for a period of 30 calendar days. All interested parties will have an opportunity to attend a Public Information Centre (PIC) meeting hosted prior to the final decisions on the proposed solutions. Notification of the PIC will be provided through email and postings on the City’s website.

Study Area

The Hidden Valley Creek subwatershed is approximately 200 ha located in southeast Kitchener (see Figure 1). The Hidden Valley Creek subwatershed contains a large wetland/woodland environmental complex, which holds classifications of a Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW), Environmentally Sensitive Policy Area (ESPA), and Core Environmental Feature (CEF). Within the study area there are Regionally Significant Woodland and Significant Valley, species at risk habitat, and a warmwater fishery. In addition to being an environmentally sensitive area, the Hidden Valley ESPA/PSW is the hydrologically dominant landscape feature in the subwatershed.

The area downstream of the Hidden Valley ESPA/PSW has experienced past flood and erosion impacts related to both specific rainfall-runoff events and/or the release of natural debris-blockages (e.g., beaver dams or natural debris jams) within the wetland feature.

Public Feedback

Public, Indigenous, and agency consultation is a key component of the Class EA process, and Matrix is interested in hearing any comments or concerns that you may have about this study.

To submit a comment or question via email, or if you have accessibility requirements to comment on the study, please contact one of the representatives below:

Monica Mazur, M.Sc., P.Eng.

Project Manager (Development Engineering)

City of Kitchener

Phone: 519-741-2600 ext. 7135

hiddenvalley@kitchener.ca

Karen Hofbauer, M.A.Sc., P.Eng.

Principal Water Resources Engineer Matrix Solutions Inc.

Phone: 226-314-1932

Email: khofbauer@matrix-solutions.com

Please note that comments will be maintained for reference throughout the project and will become part of the public record. Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Environmental Assessment Act, any personal information such as name, address, and telephone number included in a submission will become part of the public record unless the comments specifically request that such personal details not be included in the public record.