Harris Park’s $2 million makeover: Erosion control project improves park’s resilience

After millions in improvements, CTV London's Gerry Dewan has the latest on the Harris Park shoreline restoration project.

The 500-metre stretch of Harris Park’s shoreline from Queens Avenue to Blackfriars Bridge has a very different look after a $2 million makeover.

“I think the biggest improvement to this project is adding the secondary pathway,” Shawna Chambers told CTV News. Chambers is Division Manager with the city’s Stormwater Engineering team.

“Not only do you have the Thames Valley Parkway, you have a secondary access where you can enjoy a leisurely stroll along the river, as well as the new lookout, which allows folks to get up close and personal with the Thames River.”

According to Chambers, the $2 million erosion control project became a priority after a study was conducted in 2021.

“We found that this bank was eroding, she said.

“So, in other words, we were going to potentially lose some of the land into the river. We wanted to take action to create a more sustainable solution.”

One critical step was to replace the “gabion baskets” that were stacked along the shoreline.

“It was wire mesh filled with rocks, and that wire got rusty and was failing,” said Chambers.

“Now, we have a naturalized bank using engineering techniques. That allows for a stable slope without the gabion baskets. This way it should be sustainable for decades to come.”

The city has also planted dozens of new trees along the path after a number of large, mature trees were lost during the erosion control project. The loss of century-old trees was a concern for residents who enjoy using Harris Park. Chambers said tree removal was unavoidable.

“The tree roots were often entangled with the gabion baskets, so they had to go with the project,” she said.

“We found some of those 100-year-old cottonwoods were actually rotten inside.”

Chambers stressed that Harris Park will continue to see flooding during heavy rainfall events because that’s what the park is designed to do.

Flooding washed out the Outdoor Comedy Festival slated to take place in Harris Park in mid-July of last year. A number of comedy heavy hitters were lined up for the festival, including Bill Burr, Tom Segura, and Nate Bargatze. Those who had purchased tickets to the festival were refunded their money.

“Harris Park remains an active event space, but at the same time is still the floodplain. So, it’s a balancing act between the public interaction and flooding,” said Chambers.

She said changes made during the erosion control project will help the park better endure that flooding. The project will also include a new fishing dock and a place to launch canoes.

Chambers added the shoreline embankment will be covered with grass, as soon they can convince the geese and goslings stop eating all the grass seed.

The park should be fully open to the public again by early June.