By Chloe Rahman
Multiple projects are on the horizon at Mooney’s Bay with the city’s redevelopment of recreational spaces on the beach to be completed later this fall. Other projects are in consultation phases, and include rethinking the park’s hill and replacing the pavilion. Situated just south of Hog’s Back Park and Carleton University, the beach will have a redeveloped tennis court and new basketball courts. The Leveller looked into their environmental impacts and the question of what is being done to address them.
William van Geest, the executive director at environmental advocacy organization Ecology Ottawa, explained the park’s location along the shoreline makes construction an environmental concern. Construction can disturb soil, increasing the risk of erosion and sediment runoff into nearby waterways. The new courts also add paved, impervious surfaces, which can affect how stormwater is absorbed and moves through the park. New infrastructure can also affect existing vegetation depending on where it is built.
“Anytime you’re doing developments on a shoreline or in a shoreline area, that’s very sensitive,” he explained. “With construction projects, there’s always the threat of runoff of various types into the body of water in question.”
Hiran Sandanayake, the director of Asset Management Services with the City of Ottawa, said that “for City of Ottawa capital projects, environmental considerations are identified during the planning phase and carried forward through design and construction.”
He added that the construction contract requires the installation of erosion and sediment controls, tree protection fencing, and other measures to protect tree roots.
“The City provides project oversight to ensure the required mitigation measures are implemented,” he said.
According to Sandanayake, areas disturbed by construction must also be reinstated with protection measures. The success of the reinstatement is to be monitored by subject matter experts throughout construction.
Environmental considerations were also examined before construction began, according to Sandanyake. The city retained an engineering firm to conduct an environmental review of the site, which considered previous land uses, the Migratory Birds Protection Act, and existing environmental and geotechnical reports. The project was also required to undergo the National Capital Commission’s Federal Land Use, Design and Transaction Approval process.
The engineering firm performed a Species at Risk screening and assessment to identify protected flora, fauna and potential habitats, as well as an inventory of existing trees. They also conducted soil testing to determine how to manage excavated material.
Beyond the construction process itself, the addition of paved surfaces can also raise environmental concerns. Unlike impervious pavement, permeable surfaces allow water to soak into the ground.
“[Adding pavement] is always backward from an ecological standpoint,” said van Geest. “The more we pave over permeable areas, the less space there is for natural things.”
However, Sandanayake said the project underwent a review that included an analysis of the additional impervious paving.
“The proposed basketball courts were determined to have a negligible impact on stormwater runoff volumes, given the overall scale of the park,” he claimed.
In 2023, Ottawa Citizen reported a “no-swimming advisory” for Mooney’s Bay due to suspected blue-green algae bloom, which can be a serious health concern if contacting skin or ingested. At that time, water tested in the bay demonstrated the highest E.coli bacteria count among the city’s supervised beaches after a period of heavy rainfall.
“I don’t think Mooney’s Bay is overly rich in biodiversity,” said van Geest. The bay was human-created to connect between the Hog’s Back Falls, the rapids on Rideau River and the Rideau Canal. “But it is a convenient way for people to access green space in the city.”
In 2025, Ottawa Public Health announced it would change testing for bacteria levels at Mooney’s Bay and other Ottawa beaches weekly instead of daily. Testing Mooney’s Bay water in July and August by Public Health showed very high levels of E.coli with a high level test during the week in between.
Sandanayake said the project was designed to use existing infrastructure locations wherever possible and position new infrastructure to avoid impacts on existing trees. Part of the project also involves the planting of additional trees.
The current construction is not the last change coming to Mooney’s Bay. The existing beach pavilion, built in 1964, may be replaced with a facility that could better accommodate year-round services, with 18 to 36 trees removed. The city has also discussed modifications to the hill to make it suitable for activities such as sledding and cross-country skiing.
As redevelopment of the park continues to be considered, van Geest argued protecting and creating urban green space should remain a priority.
“I think the city just needs to do more to protect—and even create—green space, and to do a better job of it,” he said.
