Belfountain Conservation Area Restoration Project

Restoring Belfountain Conservation Area

We restored Belfountain Conservation Area to help protect and manage the natural and cultural heritage of the property.

Project Overview

In 2017, the Minister of Environment approved CVC’s Environmental Assessment to restore a portion of the West Credit River. This is part of Phase 1 of implementing the Belfountain Conservation Area Management Plan. The first phase of the construction started June 2021.

We remved the headpond and replaced it with a new 180 metre natural channel in the West Credit River. We also lowered the Belfountain dam by one metre to improve its structural stability and enhance public safety. This project helps to improve the overall health of the river by increasing flow and cooling the water, which benefits the native brook trout population.

Once the dam and channel construction were complete, we planted 12,000 native trees, shrubs and plants to create new habitat and help protect species at risk.

We built a new flood-resilient heritage gardens in the former headpond area of the park. This new infrastructure is designed to withstand flooding and climate change impacts. Park visitors have access to the water’s edge through the new 1,500 square metres of heritage gardens.

We also preserved and restored the Mack Park cultural heritage features, including the historic fountain, stone masonry walls, and the former swimming pool, which is converted to a lily pond. Further additions in the Heritage Gardens area include better historical interpretation, a new dry-stone wall feature of Credit Valley sandstone, as well as a new lookout with a playful fox sculpture.

A new 22 metre span pedestrian bridge was installed to replace the aging concrete bridge. We built a new 350 metre boardwalk trail and over 100 metres of trails in the heritage gardens. We also upgraded 275 metres of the Gorge Loop and Trimble Trails.