Port Darlington Area
Development and Shoreline Management
Introduction
What is a Dynamic Shoreline?
Dynamic Beach
Beaches that undergo continuous change due to natural erosion and eccretion.
"Areas of inherently unstable accumulations of shoreline sediments along the Great Lakes-St.Lawrence River System and large inland lakes. The dynamic beach hazard limit includes the flooding hazard limit plus a dynamic beach allowance." Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Darlington Area in the News
A combination of high water levels and strong easterly winds on Sunday, April 30th, 2017 led to a lake surge and flooding in Bowmanville, Ontario's Cedar Crest Beach Road area as lake levels remained at an all-time high. Residents were "completely overwhelmed" by relentless flooding after waves pummeled the shoreline, breaching the street. They spent weeks struggling with flood risks related to high waves, rising water levels from the lake and surrounding wetlands and heavy rain.
Clarington Emergency and Fire Services worked to help residents fight the flooding. The Red Cross was called to assist residents and Durham Regional Police were on site to direct traffic and keep onlookers away. Hundred of samdbags were used to create protective barriers around properties and homes as high winds and heavy rains pounded the community.
Lake Ontario Water Levels Exercise
Image 1: Lake Ontario average water level 74.09 to 74.69 (bottom), Lake Ontario 2017 record water level 75.47 (top blue line), Cedar Crest Beach and West Beach Road average elevation 75.59 (top-centre).
Image 2: Westside Creek Regional Flood level 76.39 (top green line).
Image 3: Bowmanville Marsh Regional Flood level 77.69 (very top green line).
Watershed Context
The Soper Creek, Bowmanville Creek and Westside Creek watersheds all drain into Lake Ontario through two Provincially Significant Wetlands in Port Darlington. These three watersheds drain a total area of 174.68 km 2 .
Watershed Context
Water Levels
Water Levels during the months of May, June and July broke historic highs from 1952 for all three months in 2017 by 1 to 2.2 inches. These record-breaking water levels caused extensive flooding throughout the GTA, particularly along Cedar Crest Beach in Bowmanville, Ontario, where residents were at risk of flooding from both Lake Ontario and the large inland marshes. Additionally, strong winds pushed large waves towards the shore, putting residents further at risk of flooding and amplifying hazardous conditions already present.
The year 2017 had the highest average annual Lake Ontario water levels in the last 44 years, since 1973.
The maximum recorded water level in 2017 was 75.47m. In one month, from May 1st to June 1st, there was a rise in lake levels by 1ft.
The year 2017 had the highest maximum monthly average water level ever recorded in the last 99 years, at 75.47m in June, surpassing the 1952 levels by 2 inches.
In 2017, the months of May, June and July broke record highs from 1952 by 2-3 inches. The waterlevels during these months were approximately 2.5ft higher than in 2016.
The 100-year flood would be 1.5ft higher than what water levels reached in 2017. The Riverine Regulatory flood would be 3ft higher.
Disclaimer: Water Level data was retrieved from The Canadian Hydrographic Service. It refers in meters to the IGLD 1985 vertical datum. This data was converted into the CGVD 2013 vertical datum for the purposes of this map. This map is for information purposes only and the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority takes no responsibility for, nor guarantees, the accuracy of all information contained within the map.
Fly-Throughs
The area inundated during the worst of the 2017 flooding in Darlington Area, Cedar Crest Beach, Bowmanville, Ontario.
The predicted area that would be inundated if a 100-year flood event occured in Darlington Area, Cedar Crest Beach, Bowmanville, Ontario.
Dynamic Beach
Imagery of the Port Darlington area was scanned and georeferenced for the available years 1931, 1967, 1991, 2016.
Scroll down to compare against past years.
Zoom in and pan to see detailed changes along the shoreline, compared against the most recent aerial photo (2021).
Drag the swipe bar for comparisons over time.
2016 Shoreline
1991 Shoreline
1967 Shoreline
1931 Shoreline
Shoreline Change
Shorelines (water levels) were digitized accordingly for comparison purposes to show the dynamic changes of the shoreline over time.
Zoom in and pan to see detailed changes along the shoreline.
Aerial Photos
Aerial Photos
Development History
These images illustrate the development history of the shoreline in the Port Darlington area, including the first registered plans of subdivision for shoreline residential development.
The water's edge was surveyed as part of these plans of subdivision and was updated from time to time as landowners prepared new surveys for their landholdings. The variability of the shoreline water's edge is shown, as each registered plan of survey in this area depicts a different water level.
Click the buttons below to toggle between the various registered survey plans:
Zoom in and pan for a closer look and click on the map for more details.
Disclaimer: Water's edge and historic property boundaries were manually digitized from registered survey plans. Water level was retrieved from the Canadian Hydrographic Service. It refers to meters to the IGLD 1985 vertical datum. This map is for information purposes only and the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority takes no responsibility for, nor guarantees, the accuracy of all information contained within the map.
Riverine Flood Depth
Riverine Flood Depth Legend
These flood depths would prevent personal vehicle access or egress to the site during a flood emergency, and would also make emergency vehicle access extremely difficult, which would put first responders at risk.
Flood depths associated with the Bowmanville Soper Creek floodplain also pose a severe safety risk to people and risk of people being swept away. The riverine flood depths illustrated threatens safe access to the subject lands and reinforces the realities of the severity of the natural hazards present in relation to the existing population and development
Disclaimer: Water Level data was retrieved from The Canadian Hydrographic Service. It refers in meters to the IGLD 1985 vertical datum. This data was converted into the CGVD 2013 vertical datum for the purposes of this map. This map is for information purposes only and the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority takes no responsibility for, nor guarantees, the accuracy of all information contained within the map.
