Geography
Watershed
Evergreen Brick Works is adjacent to the Lower Don River. Mud Creek, a tributary of the Don, runs through the site and four ponds filter stormwater and provide habitat in Weston Family Quarry Garden.
Covering 360 square kilometres, the Don River watershed is home to over 800,000 people—it is Canada’s most urban watershed. Citizen groups and government agencies have been working to “bring back the Don” since the late 1980s. Evergreen is proud to be a contributor to the restoration of the Don.
In December 2010, Evergreen artist-in-residence Ferruccio Sardella unveiled the Watershed Wall, a “living map” of the Don Watershed on the site’s south-facing wall, which depicts the rivers that flow through the city.
Ravines
Located in the heart of Toronto’s ravine network, Evergreen Brick Works features programming related to the exploration of Toronto’s ravines. Citizens and government agencies have been working to protect the city’s ravines from development since the late 1960s.
In his book Accidental City, Robert Fulford writes, “The ravines are to Toronto what canals are to Venice and hills are to San Francisco. They are the heart of the city’s emotional geography, and understanding Toronto requires an understanding of the ravines.”
Flood Plain
Evergreen Brick Works lies within the Don flood plain. We have a flood evacuation plan in the event that heavy rains occur. For more information on flood safety in Greater Toronto, check out the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s Flood Warning System.
