Implementing integrated water management: illustrations from the Grand River watershed

Abstract

The Grand River watershed is the largest in southern Ontario. Poor water quality, floods and drought experienced in the 1930s prompted the formation of the Grand River Conservation Authority. While significant water improvements have been achieved, the Grand River faces chronic stress from the impacts of rapid population growth, land use intensification and changing climate. There is renewed commitment to address evolving water issues through integrated watershed management. This article summarizes the lessons learnt in the Grand River watershed and contends that integrated watershed management, although difficult to implement, provides a useful framework for practical application and positive results.

Keywords:

• Integrated watershed management
• Grand River Conservation Authority
• Grand River watershed
• water management plan

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the leadership provided by L. Minshall for directing the water management plan. The water management plan could not have been completed without the contributions and support from the following staff: D. Boyd, J. Etienne, M. Anderson, C. Holeton, S. Shifflett, A. Wong, B. McIntosh, Z. Green, J. Marshall, A. Loeffler, L. Heymig, T. Ryan, D. Schultz, K. Balpataky, H. Kovacs, E. Fanning, S. Strynatka, J. Pitcher and J. Farwell.

Notes

1. Under the federal Indian Act, an ‘Indian reserve’ is land held by the Crown ‘for the use and benefit of the respective bands for which they were set apart’ (Section 18 (1)). Two reserves, the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory and the Mississaugas of the New Credit, are located just south of Brantford. The Six Nations reserve is the largest in Canada, with a land base of 18,000 ha and a population of over 25,000 people.

2. In 1973, the towns of Galt, Preston and Hespeler amalgamated to become the city of Cambridge.

3. The Mississaugas of the New Credit reserve does not obtain drinking water from sources in the Grand River watershed; rather, it is served by water drawn from Lake Erie, treated and distributed by pipe from Nanticoke, Ontario (Dupont et al., 2014).

4. Ontario has three types of municipalities, which include upper- and lower-tier municipalities within a two-tier structure, and single-tier municipalities. In the Grand River watershed, there are 7 upper-tier municipalities, 27 lower-tier municipalities and 5 single-tier municipalities.

5. Resilience, in the context of the WMP, refers to the longer-term capacity of a natural system or watershed to deal with change, either gradual or sudden, such as a large storm event, and continue to function as expected. Increasing the resiliency of a watershed requires new or modified beneficial practices, the safeguarding of green infrastructure, and improved management approaches to maintain or enhance the watershed’s natural ability to function as expected (Project Team, Water Management Plan, 2014).

6. A Lakewide Action and Management Plan is a plan of action to assess, restore, protect and monitor the ecosystem health of a Great Lake. It is used to coordinate the work of all collaborating partners to improve the lake ecosystem.