Natural Hazards

Conservation Authorities have been managing natural hazards for more than 40 years since Hurricane Hazel struck the greater Toronto area in 1954, claiming 81 lives.

A natural hazard is a natural process that has the potential to damage property, injure humans and other organisms and tragically even loss of life. Depending on the severity of the event, a natural hazard may be deemed a natural disaster.

The primary objectives of natural hazards management is to prevent the loss of life, to minimize social disruption, and to minimize property damage within our watershed caused by natural hazards such as flooding, erosion and unstable slopes.

Flooding

Water levels can increase due to extreme rainfall or snowmelt or as the result of debris or ice blocking a watercourse. If water levels rise to high enough levels, the land surrounding a river or stream becomes covered in water. A floodplain is an area of flat land that lies adjacent to a stream or river. Floodplains are periodically flooded when water levels rise.

There is mapping for all floodplain lands in the Kettle Creek watershed. The province has adapted standards for addressing floodplain management. The regulatory flood standard for Kettle Creek’s watershed is the Hurricane Hazel (1954) standard.

Erosion & Unstable Slopes

Erosion is a natural process whereby the earth’s surface is worn away by the action of water, wind, ice or waves. Erosion occurs in all rivers, streams and shorelines. Land use changes and flooding can accelerate the rate of erosion in a watershed. This accelerated rate of erosion can weaken the stability of slopes.