Dredging Season Commences in the Keating Channel

PortsToronto’s summer dredging season has begun and visitors to Toronto’s Port Lands and waterfront may spot our bright blue tugboat, the Iron Guppy, and her crew working to remove sediment and debris from the mouth of the Don River.

Thousands of tonnes of sediment build up every year where the Don River empties into the Keating Channel. PortsToronto removes this material to prevent siltation and debris from spilling into the harbour, to maintain a navigable river depth and to allow the smooth flow of water through the Keating Channel. In 2018, more than 25,000 cubic metres of sediment material was removed from the mouth of the river through our dredging process.

Transported to the Leslie Street Spit by dump scow barges tugged by the Iron Guppy, the natural materials dredged from the channel and other parts of the harbour are stored in one of PortsToronto’s specially designed cells, which, over time, provide new habitat for marsh birds, turtles, small mammals and native fish.

Curious to know more? Click here to read our 2018 Sustainability Report.