The Old Ausable Channel is a self-contained waterway in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada that runs through the Pinery Provincial Park and the community of Grand Bend.
[1][2] As the new diversion carried pollutants and agricultural run-off into Lake Huron, bypassing the channel, it remained a mostly untouched section of natural environment while the surrounding areas were increasingly impacted by human industrialization.
[2] The Pinery Provincial Park was created in 1957 to preserve unique natural landscapes including the dunes while also providing a recreational area for nearby communities.
The water impounded by the dam re-filled the channel to its original width, flooding the terrestrial plants that had colonized the banks and returning it to usable levels.
Four drainage culverts under access roads maintain the water level in the 4 km long stretch on the Grand Bend side of the channel.
Three species of at-risk fishes (pugnose shiner, lake chubsucker and grass pickerel) live in the channel, and the surrounding oak savanna is the largest in Ontario.