Welcome to the City of Hamilton’s Greensville Community Subwatershed Study website. The website provides interested parties with up-to-date information on the study’s progress, upcoming meeting dates and historical and technical facts that are of interest to the area’s study and planning
The website is intended to supplement and detail information available in the regular Newsletters prepared for distribution to study area residents. It also offers residents and other interested parties an opportunity to provide input into the study.
The Greensville Community Subwatershed Study will set a management strategy for surface water (streams, stormwater), community servicing (water and septic) and natural areas (wetlands, woodlots) as development proceeds on designated lands within the Greensville Rural Settlement Area (RSA).
We are open to your suggestions and comments in ways to make this a truly interactive and consultative study and website. This is a very important study for the Greensville Community and we want to hear from the residents of the subwatershed every step of the way. We also want to convey some of the very important history and evolution that may have contributed to the present day character of the area, its opportunities and its current challenges.
Planning Background
The Subwatershed Study for the Mid-Spencer Creek and Greensville RSA is one of a series of master planning initiatives that the City of Hamilton is embarking on a to provide guidance for settlement area planning over the next 30 years.
Residences in the Greensville RSA and the subwatershed are currently serviced by private septic systems and groundwater-sourced municipal communal, private communal or individual wells.
A Secondary Plan was prepared for Greensville in 1992 and the land use policies and guidelines for development are outlined in Official Plan Amendment 13 (OPA 13) to the Official Plan for the (former) Town of Flamborough. A link to the Secondary Plan and Secondary Plan Map Schedules are provided here.
OPA 13 identifies the future growth pattern studies that are required for the Greensville Settlement Area, including a Comprehensive Servicing Study to “provide guidelines to determine the extent and density of residential development that can be sustained without degradation of the quality or quantity of ground and surface waters within and outside the Secondary Plan Boundary”. The servicing study forms part of the current Subwatershed Study.
Study Goal and Objectives
The goal of the Greensville Community Subwatershed Study is to protect and enhance the ecological processes, functions and significant natural features of the area, providing a framework through which future growth may be established and undertaken in a manner which is environmentally sound and socially and economically sustainable.
A general objective of the subwatershed study is to provide a basis for the protection, maintenance and enhancement of surface water and groundwater quality and quantity through environmentally sound and responsive policy development. The resulting plan will provide recommendations as to where and how future development activity can occur so as to minimize flood risks, stream erosion, degradation of water quality and negative impacts on natural systems, including groundwater.
The Study Process
The subwatershed study is being completed in three stages. Stage I will characterize the subwatershed through a review of background literature and by conducting studies and inventories to address gaps in existing information. Stage II will provide a detailed analysis of the potential impacts of future land uses and develop a management strategy to ensure sustainability and the protection of critical elements of the subwatershed. Stage III is the implementation and monitoring phase.
The subwatershed study process may lead to recommendations which include works or undertakings that are subject to the Environmental Assessment (EA) Act. The intent of the EA Act is to provide for the protection, conservation and wise management of the environment through planning and informed decision making. The following fundamental EA principles will be incorporated into the subwatershed study process:
- Consultation with affected parties;
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Consideration of a reasonable range of alternatives to the undertaking, and alternative methods of implementation;
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Consideration of all aspects of the environment;
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Systematic evaluation of the environmental effects of each alternative considered; and,
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Clear and complete documentation.
The Subwatershed Study will also support the City of Hamilton’s Growth Related Integrated Development Strategy (GRIDS), as well as future development studies for the Greensville RSA.
Public Consultation
As a Master Planning initiative under the Municipal Class EA process, public participation in the study will be encouraged and solicited through:
Starting in the autumn of 2007 and as the study progresses, a series of PICs will be held in Greensville. Notice of the information centres will be placed in the Hamilton Spectator, the Dundas Star and the Flamborough Review. Information from the centres will also be posted on this website.
The Community Liaison Committee (CLC) will provide a forum for in-depth discussion of project issues within a representative group of community leaders and interested citizens. The CLC will assist the City and its consultants to solicit and receive public input, identify contentious issues and gauge public response.
The City will be responsible for the formation of the Community Liaison Committee. Participation on the Committee may be solicited at the first PIC, through the web site and through direct invitation and contact with individuals and groups.
Stakeholder Input and Participation
Study area residents and other interested participants are encouraged to check this website often for updates, announcements and information regarding the study and its findings.
The most recent edition of the Greensville Community Subwatershed Study Newsletter is available here. If you wish to be added to the study mailing list and receive notice of Public Information Centres, or wish to provide comments on the study, please send us an email greensvillestudy@hamilton.ca.
This website also contains some articles on the background and history of the study area. Links are provided on this page to descriptions of the Greensville area’s Settlement History and to a series of air photos showing the sequence of development in the area over the past 60 years. As the study proceeds, information will be added on the area’s many natural heritage features.