This project involves fixing the bend at the corner to increase its stability while also improving fish habitat. The habitat improvements include the addition of root wads on the bend and adding rock and boulder clusters in the water to offer fish places behind which they can rest.

“In the middle of the night the water level came downstream really fast; it blew out the corner bend and washed out a bit of the road. Tehkummah maintenance crews went out and secured it and had to do an emergency repair just to hold it off,” said Ms. Deschenes. She added that this full restoration work will prevent future corner blow-outs and prevent sediment from flowing downstream and covering fish habitat.

“The Manitou River is known for its rainbow and salmon runs. We don’t want all that sediment to go downstream and cover prime spawning habitat. Anything that can prevent that from occurring is important,” she said.

The funding for this project is coming from the Canada-Ontario Agreement fund, a pool of money set aside to help the country meet its goals as prescribed by the Canada-US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Ms. Deschenes said her organization has been fairly successful in recent years in its bids to secure funding through this agreement for its restoration projects.