Crews have begun pumping water from a large pond that has formed on Woodbine Beach but it could be weeks until the area is dry.
James Dann, who is the city’s manager of waterfront parks, told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday that while roughly 2,600 gallons of water is being pumped from the pond per minute it will likely be Canada Day before the beach is fully restored.
“It’s going to take a while to go down. The lake is still high – we are still at records levels – and right now we are dealing with not only waves coming over and adding to the pond but we are also dealing with the lake coming up from within. This is not something that will go away immediately,” he warned.
The pond at the western end of Woodbine Beach began forming last month as water levels in Lake Ontario began to rise.
Dann said that a similar pond formed in 2017 when water levels were also high but he said that this one is deeper and is likely to linger on the beach for a longer period of time.
“There will be sand that could be added to the area after the fact but right now we have to pump the water out. The shoreline itself is also compromised, so the shoreline that was holding in 2017 is now reduced,” he said.
Dann said that the water level in Lake Ontario is still at a record 76 metres above sea level.
He said that in addition to the flooding on Woodbine Beach, about 35 per cent of the Toronto Islands remain underwater, though the islands themselves remain open to the public.
“The impact is being felt right across the waterfront not only in Toronto but around the entirety of Lake Ontario,” he said of the high water levels.
