Throughout this summer our green team, consisting of team leader, Raj Tilva and team member Nora Piercey, have been working with Conservation Corps of NL in partnership with Northeast Avalon Atlantic Coastal Action Program to work on a project focused on uncovering the lost rivers and waterways around St. John’s. The main goal of this project is to collect data on culverted or bridged rivers, past and present, to identify the potential for restoration or public use. We’ve collected data such as water quality, water levels, and flow, pH levels, oxygen content in the water, and much more.Using the information we’ve gathered and studying similar past projects, we can identify the positive and negative consequences of covering local waterways. We also researched the effects of daylighting these covered rivers. Daylighting refers to the practice of opening up previously covered waterways and restoring them to their natural and original conditions.

With the support and resources from CCNL and NAACAP, we have collected a wide range of data to help us maintain our goal. We collected data at the start of our project and compared it to data collected weeks later after the river had seen many different types of weather (rain, heat waves, etc.) and human activity. Using this information we can see how a river is affected by going through a long culvert or bridge.

Do many animals stay around these covered parts of rivers because it tends to be cooler? Is there more or less vegetation growth in these areas? Would the culverted rivers be more susceptible to garbage collection? We covered these questions and many more during our time collecting data about this river. A complete report of their findings will be uploaded at the end of the summer.

Learn more about our Hidden Rivers Initiative and see our Kelly’s Brook Storymap here.