Conservation authority working on plan to protect rivers, creeks that drain into lake

A plan is in the works to protect Ramara Township rivers and creeks that drain into Lake Simcoe.

Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) staff have inspected all of the rivers and creeks, looking for projects that could potentially improve them.

“It’s really to bring together a range of studies and environmental-monitoring information to get an understanding of the conditions of the creeks, the watershed and then to develop recommendations for improvement,” said Ben Longstaff, the LSRCA’s integrated watershed manager. “How do we move forward?”

The Lake Simcoe Protection Plan requires sub-watershed plans to be prepared for priority watersheds. Municipal official plans must be amended to ensure compliance with the recommendations.

Since 2010, the LSRCA has created sub-watershed plans for four other areas around the lake.

Longstaff said some recommendations overlap. More effective management of stormwater is one of them.

Other recommendations are more geographically specific and focus on the agricultural area and drainage canals in the mid-zone.
“How can we improve the ecological integrity of those drainage canals, ensuring that they still meet the requirements that the farmer needs them for?” Longstaff asked. “Can we get some more fish communities in there, make them more sustainable and increase the amount of water flow through them?”

The land is primarily used for agriculture.

In Ramara, the LSRCA is looking at Lagoon City canals and their aquatic growth over the summer.

LSRCA staff came up with a list of 85 recommendations. A working group that included representation from the township, Simcoe County, three provincial ministries and a local conservancy narrowed it down to 30.

“Which ones do we think we can really achieve over the next five years?” Longstaff said.

The implementation of recommendations in other sub-watersheds is partially funded by the province and partially funded by the municipalities. The details of the recommendations for Ramara have not yet been made public, but they will be in the coming weeks. An open house is to be scheduled for the end of May to discuss them before they go to the LSRCA board of directors for approval.

roberta.bell@sunmedia.ca