Yellow Creek (Toronto)

Last updated
Yellow Creek
Creek (3456088673).jpg
Yellow Creek as it runs through Avoca Ravine next to David A. Balfour Park
Location
Country Canada
Province Ontario
City Toronto
Physical characteristics
Source 
  location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mouth  
  location
Don River, just north of Bloor Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Length12 km (7.5 mi)

Yellow Creek is a partially-buried southeasterly tributary of the Don River in Toronto. It has also been known at different times as Silver Creek, Sylvan Creek, and Rosedale Brook. [1] [2] The former source of Yellow Creek begins near Sheppard West station in the Downsview neighbourhood. Most of the creek and its sources are buried underground in storm sewers until they emerge into Avoca Ravine in the Deer Park neighbourhood and continue their way to the Don River. [2] [3]

Contents

Former reach

Much of the former reach of Yellow Creek was buried, starting from its source approximately around Sheppard West station, near Downsview Airport. It followed a southeasterly course from there to just south of Rondale Boulevard. [4] Continuing south-east, it was fed by two small streams, one at Bathurst Heights and another near Briar Hill Avenue. [5]

Buried sections

The modern storm sewer main located near the confluence of the two former streams at Bathurst Heights and near Briar Hill Avenue is a major source of water for Yellow Creek. [5] At this portion, Yellow Creek is effectively a buried and channelled stream which flows south via the storm sewer under Chaplin Crescent, which then follows the path underneath beltline south east. [6] The buried creek crosses Yonge street south of the Davisville railyard into Mount Pleasant Cemetery and is further fed by water from the Yonge street storm sewers before emerging from the southern protrusion of the cemetery into the Vale of Avoca. [7] [6] [8]

Surface sections

The surface sections of the creek start at the Vale of Avoca, a deep ravine located in Deer Park. [8] [9] It surfaces at the southern end of Mount Pleasant Cemetery, flows in a southeasterly course to the Park Drive Reservation Ravine, [10] and then towards the east until it empties into the Don River. The creek is buried twice in the two ravines.

Vale of Avoca

The surface section of the creek starts when it flows out into a deep ravine known as the Vale of Avoca (also known as the Avoca Ravine), which forms a large portion of David A. Balfour Park. [9] Although the park contains a significant portion of this ravine, its name is occasionally attributed erroneously to both the ravine and the waterway itself. [9] [11] The creek is crossed at this section by the Vale of Avoca bridge.

The creek often spills its banks in the ravine during periods of heavy rain due to diversion of water from storm drains and sewers into the ravines, thus over-exceeding the channels' design limits and causing damage to the trails and footbridges in the ravine. [12]

Park Drive Reservation Ravine

Yellow Creek is again buried underground as it exits the Avoca Ravine, flowing under Mount Pleasant Road into Park Drive Reservation Ravine, then surfacing partway in the latter ravine. [13] It enters the sewers again near Bayview Avenue before joining the Don River. [10] [13] [14]

Restoration

In 2019, The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority identified Yellow Creek as a location which has become a public health concern due to erosion damaging pedestrian paths. Exposed rock retaining walls were removed and replaced with a more gently sloped creek bed which will be less prone to collapse due to erosion. These changes will ultimately allow Yellow Creek to flow without further maintenance and without unnecessary flooding. [15]

The events in Margaret Atwood's novel The Blind Assassin begins on the recounting of an car accident at the Vale of Avoca bridge:

Laura had gone through a Danger barrier, then right off the St. Clair Avenue bridge into the ravine far below.

Related Research Articles

Downsview Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Downsview is a neighbourhood in the north end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the district of North York. The area takes its name from the Downs View farm established around 1842 near the present-day intersection of Keele Street and Wilson Avenue. It now extends beyond the intersection of Sheppard Avenue and Dufferin Street, though it is popularly seen as including the areas to the north right up to the Toronto city limit at Steeles Avenue. The area includes several large post-World War II subdivisions. Within the area is Downsview Airport, the former site of Canadian Forces Base Downsview, which has since been largely converted following the end of the Cold War into an urban park known as Downsview Park. The airport is still used as a manufacturing and testing facility for Bombardier Aerospace.

Deer Park, Toronto Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Deer Park is an affluent neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, centred on the intersection of Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue. Its boundaries are the Vale of Avoca section of Rosedale ravine in the east, Farnham Avenue and Jackes Avenue in the south, Avenue Road and Oriole Parkway in the west, the Beltline Trail in the north on the west side of Yonge Street, and Glen Elm Avenue in the north on the east side of Yonge Street. For the purposes of social policy analysis and research, the Toronto government’s Social Development & Administration division includes Deer Park within the City of Toronto's official "Rosedale-Moore Park" and "Yonge-St.Clair" neighbourhood profiles. The neighbourhood is in Ward 22, represented by Councillor Josh Matlow at Toronto City Council.

Moore Park, Toronto Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Moore Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of Toronto's most affluent neighbourhoods. Toronto Life ranked the Rosedale-Moore Park neighbourhood as the best neighbourhood to live in Toronto. It lies along both sides of St. Clair Avenue East between the Vale of Avoca ravine and Moore Park ravine. The northern boundary is Mount Pleasant Cemetery and the southern the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks.

Taddle Creek Stream that was buried underground, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Taddle Creek is a buried stream in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that flowed a southeasterly course about six kilometres long, from St. Clair Avenue west of Bathurst Street through the present site of Wychwood Park, through the University of Toronto, into the Toronto Harbour near the Distillery District. During the 19th century, it was buried and converted into an underground sewer, but traces of the creek can still be found today. The scenic footpath known as Philosopher's Walk follows the ravine created by the creek from the Royal Ontario Museum to Trinity College. Taddle Creek is also the name of a Toronto literary magazine and of a local Montessori school.

Garrison Creek (Ontario)

Garrison Creek was a short stream about 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) long that flowed southeast into the west side of Toronto Harbour in Ontario, Canada. It has been largely covered over and filled in, but geographical traces of the creek can still be found, including the natural amphitheatre known as Christie Pits and the off-leash dog "bowl" of Trinity Bellwoods Park. The name "Garrison Creek" was used because Fort York was built near the creek mouth. Volunteers lead popular tours of the course of the old watershed.

Trinity Bellwoods Park

Trinity Bellwoods Park is a public park located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, bordered by Queen Street West on the south and Dundas Street on the north. The western boundary of the park is Crawford Street, several hundred feet before Crawford intersects with Dundas St. West, the park juts toward Shaw Street, westside of the Crawford Street Bridge. Most of the park's area lies in the original Garrison Creek ravine and this creek, now a buried city storm sewer, still flows beneath the park from the northwest to the southeast corners.

Vale of Avoca (bridge)

Vale of Avoca is the name of a large viaduct which carries St. Clair Avenue East over a ravine of the same name, in Toronto, Canada. Located just east of Yonge Street, the current triple arch bridge, also known as the St. Clair Viaduct, was built to connect the well-established community of Deer Park with the developing community of Moore Park in the 1920s. The bridge replaced an older structure and straightened the alignment of St. Clair Avenue in the process.

Cedarvale Park (Toronto)

Cedarvale Park is a park located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by very steep hills, and is located in the Cedarvale neighbourhood of Toronto. The Line 1 Yonge–University subway tunnels underneath it, between St. Clair West and Eglinton West stations; near the Markdale TTC Emergency Exit. The north end of the park contains the Phil White (Cedarvale) Arena and The Leo Baeck Day School, formerly Arlington Middle School. It is commonly used for dog walkers and students returning from the nearby school. The large open fields are heavily used by the community for everything from cricket games to flying kites. In the winter the large hill is used for tobogganing, many people bring their sleds and enjoy riding down the hills.

Dufferin Grove Park

Dufferin Grove Park is a park in the Dufferin Grove neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park is located on the east side of Dufferin Street, south of Bloor Street West. It is located a block south of the Dufferin subway station and across the street from Dufferin Mall. The park extends two city blocks east and is primarily green-space with mixed open space and treed areas.

Castle Frank Brook

Castle Frank Brook is a buried creek and south-west flowing tributary of the Don River in central and north-western Toronto, Ontario, originating near the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Dufferin Street.

Toronto ravine system Geographical formations in Toronto, Canada

The Toronto ravine system is a distinctive feature of the city's geography, consisting of a network of deep ravines, which forms a large urban forest that runs through most of Toronto. The ravine system is the largest in any city in the world, with the Ravine and Natural Feature Protection Bylaw protecting approximately 110 square kilometres (42 sq mi) of public and privately-owned land. The ravine system has been presented as a central characteristic of the city, with the size of the ravine system leading Toronto to be described as "a city within a park".

St. David (provincial electoral district) Provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada

St. David was an Ontario provincial riding that existed from 1926 to 1987. It covered a section of the eastern city of Toronto east of Sherbourne Street and west of the Don River. The riding lasted until 1987 when it was merged with the neighbouring St. George to create a larger district called St. George—St. David.

Mount Pleasant Road Arterial thoroughfare in Toronto, Canada

Mount Pleasant Road is a major arterial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street extends from Jarvis Street south of Bloor Street north to Glen Echo Drive. The road is unique as one of the few arterial roads in Toronto to be created after the development of the suburbs which it passes through. These include the wealthy Rosedale, Moore Park and Lawrence Park neighbourhoods. The road also passes through the centre of Mount Pleasant Cemetery, after which it takes its name.

Beltline Trail Rail trail in Toronto, Ontario

The Beltline Trail is a 9-kilometre (5.6 mi)-long cycling and walking rail trail in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It consists of three sections, the York Beltline Trail west of Allen Road, the Kay Gardner Beltline Park from the Allen to Mount Pleasant Road, and the Ravine Beltline Trail south of Mount Pleasant Cemetery through the Moore Park Ravine. Built on the former right-of-way of the Toronto Belt Line Railway, the linear park passes through the neighbourhoods of Rosedale, Moore Park, Forest Hill, Chaplin Estates, and Fairbank.

Burke Brook

Burke Brook is a small stream in Toronto, Ontario. It is part of the Don River watershield, a major river that flows into Lake Ontario. The north end of the stream begins near Glenview Senior Public School.

Toronto waterway system

The Toronto waterway system comprises a series of natural and man-made watercourses in the Canadian city of Toronto. The city is dominated by a large river system spanning most of the city including the Don River, Etobicoke Creek, Highland Creek, Humber River, Mimico Creek and Rouge River.

David A. Balfour Park

David A. Balfour Park is an urban park in the Deer Park neighbourhood of Toronto near the intersection of Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue. The park made up of 20.5 hectares of green space consisting of the greenery-covered Rosehill Reservoir and the entirety of the Vale of Avoca with its system of trails.

Mud Creek (Toronto) Stream in Toronto, Canada

Mud Creek, is a mostly buried south-easterly tributary of the Don River in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has also been known at different times as Mount Pleasant Brook and Spring Valley Creek.

References

  1. "Rosedale Brook (Yellow Creek)". gencat4.eloquent-systems.com. Fonds 320, File 4. The City of Toronto Archives. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  2. 1 2 "Yellow Creek". www.lostrivers.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  3. David A. Balfour Park's Indigenous history , retrieved 2019-03-23
  4. "Yorkdale Reach". www.lostrivers.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  5. 1 2 "Bathurst Heights Reach". www.lostrivers.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  6. 1 2 "Belt Line Sewer | Vanishing Point". www.vanishingpoint.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  7. "Beltline Reach". www.lostrivers.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  8. 1 2 "Vale of Avoca Reach". www.lostrivers.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  9. 1 2 3 "David A. Balfour is an epic ravine and park in the centre of Toronto". www.blogto.com. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  10. 1 2 "Park Drive Reservation Reach". www.lostrivers.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  11. "The top 7 ravines in Toronto". www.blogto.com. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  12. "A wave of flooding in ravine at David A. Balfour Park: Fixer | The Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  13. 1 2 "Yellow Creek Drain | Vanishing Point". www.vanishingpoint.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  14. "Culvert for Bayview Extension | Vanishing Point". www.vanishingpoint.ca. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  15. "YELLOW CREEK BELOW SUMMERHILL GARDENS EMERGENCY WORKS". Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Retrieved 10 July 2020.

Coordinates: 43°41′14″N79°23′10″W / 43.6871217°N 79.3861142°W / 43.6871217; -79.3861142