Mississippi Watershed Report Card

What Are We Doing?

Mississippi Valley Watershed Overall Score

MVC continues to expand its monitoring program to create an accurate picture of the health of the watershed .

Identifying gaps in data in the first watershed report card release helped us determine where we need to focus our monitoring and expand our sampling sites.

Mississippi Valley

WATERSHED

Private landowners are a key resource when trying to maintain the health of the watershed. MVC has been working with landowners to provide support for stewardship projects that benefit the landowner and all who depend on the watershed through advice, materials (trees/shrubs) and on the ground labour.

Report Card 2013

A floodplain mapping upgrade project within the City of Ottawa—started in the fall of 2012 — will enable staff , the City, and landowners to more accurately see potential effects of development in this urban area .

Citizen Science based monitoring programs along urban waterways has provided more data for analysis and engaged the public in acting for the health of the watershed.

Lake landowners , in the form of lake associations or property owners groups, have worked with the conservation authority to create stewardship based best practices guidelines for their lakes.

What You Can Do

Surface Water Quality

Forest Conditions There are many simple steps that watershed residents, visitors and other stakeholders can take to help maintain the health of the Mississippi Valley: Plant trees along your shoreline Volunteer for Check Your Watershed Day Become a Citizen Scientist and collect wildlife and water data Join or start a Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup site near you Be aware of your phosphorous use Maintain your septic system Wash boat before visiting other water bodies Join a lake association or field naturalist club Educate yourself on what it means to have a healthy watershed , then pass it on Join MVC Climate Change adaptation discussions Talk to Conservation Authority staff the watershed belongs to us all

Contact us Mississippi Valley Conservation 613.259.2421 info@mvc.on.ca www.mvc.on.ca 4175 Hwy. 511 Lanark, Ontario K0G 1K0 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Riparian Conditions

GRADING A Excellent B Good C Fair D Poor F Very Poor

Measuring helps us better understand our watershed. It helps us to focus our efforts where they are needed most and track progress. It also helps us to identify healthy and ecologically important areas that require protection or enhancement.

The standards used in this report card were developed by Conservation Authorities to ensure consistent reporting across the Province of Ontario and are intended to provide watershed residents with information to protect, enhance and improve the precious resources that surround us.

We are one of 36 Conservation Authorities across Ontario under the umbrella organization of Conservation Ontario. Three Conservation Authorities work within the City of Ottawa: Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley and South Nation. For a full map of all conservation authorities in Ontario please visit www.conservation-ontario.ca

Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority has prepared this report card as a summary of the state of our forests and surface water.

A member of

What Are We Doing?

Mississippi Valley Watershed Overall Score

MVC continues to expand its monitoring program to create an accurate picture of the health of the watershed .

Identifying gaps in data in the first watershed report card release helped us determine where we need to focus our monitoring and expand our sampling sites.

Mississippi Valley

WATERSHED

Private landowners are a key resource when trying to maintain the health of the watershed. MVC has been working with landowners to provide support for stewardship projects that benefit the landowner and all who depend on the watershed through advice, materials (trees/shrubs) and on the ground labour.

Report Card 2013

A floodplain mapping upgrade project within the City of Ottawa—started in the fall of 2012 — will enable staff , the City, and landowners to more accurately see potential effects of development in this urban area .

Citizen Science based monitoring programs along urban waterways has provided more data for analysis and engaged the public in acting for the health of the watershed.

Lake landowners , in the form of lake associations or property owners groups, have worked with the conservation authority to create stewardship based best practices guidelines for their lakes.

What You Can Do

Surface Water Quality

Forest Conditions There are many simple steps that watershed residents, visitors and other stakeholders can take to help maintain the health of the Mississippi Valley: Plant trees along your shoreline Volunteer for Check Your Watershed Day Become a Citizen Scientist and collect wildlife and water data Join or start a Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup site near you Be aware of your phosphorous use Maintain your septic system Wash boat before visiting other water bodies Join a lake association or field naturalist club Educate yourself on what it means to have a healthy watershed , then pass it on Join MVC Climate Change adaptation discussions Talk to Conservation Authority staff the watershed belongs to us all

Contact us Mississippi Valley Conservation 613.259.2421 info@mvc.on.ca www.mvc.on.ca 4175 Hwy. 511 Lanark, Ontario K0G 1K0 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Riparian Conditions

GRADING A Excellent B Good C Fair D Poor F Very Poor

Measuring helps us better understand our watershed. It helps us to focus our efforts where they are needed most and track progress. It also helps us to identify healthy and ecologically important areas that require protection or enhancement.

The standards used in this report card were developed by Conservation Authorities to ensure consistent reporting across the Province of Ontario and are intended to provide watershed residents with information to protect, enhance and improve the precious resources that surround us.

We are one of 36 Conservation Authorities across Ontario under the umbrella organization of Conservation Ontario. Three Conservation Authorities work within the City of Ottawa: Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley and South Nation. For a full map of all conservation authorities in Ontario please visit www.conservation-ontario.ca

Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority has prepared this report card as a summary of the state of our forests and surface water.

A member of

What Are We Doing?

Mississippi Valley Watershed Overall Score

MVC continues to expand its monitoring program to create an accurate picture of the health of the watershed .

Identifying gaps in data in the first watershed report card release helped us determine where we need to focus our monitoring and expand our sampling sites.

Mississippi Valley

WATERSHED

Private landowners are a key resource when trying to maintain the health of the watershed. MVC has been working with landowners to provide support for stewardship projects that benefit the landowner and all who depend on the watershed through advice, materials (trees/shrubs) and on the ground labour.

Report Card 2013

A floodplain mapping upgrade project within the City of Ottawa—started in the fall of 2012 — will enable staff , the City, and landowners to more accurately see potential effects of development in this urban area .

Citizen Science based monitoring programs along urban waterways has provided more data for analysis and engaged the public in acting for the health of the watershed.

Lake landowners , in the form of lake associations or property owners groups, have worked with the conservation authority to create stewardship based best practices guidelines for their lakes.

What You Can Do

Surface Water Quality

Forest Conditions There are many simple steps that watershed residents, visitors and other stakeholders can take to help maintain the health of the Mississippi Valley: Plant trees along your shoreline Volunteer for Check Your Watershed Day Become a Citizen Scientist and collect wildlife and water data Join or start a Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup site near you Be aware of your phosphorous use Maintain your septic system Wash boat before visiting other water bodies Join a lake association or field naturalist club Educate yourself on what it means to have a healthy watershed , then pass it on Join MVC Climate Change adaptation discussions Talk to Conservation Authority staff the watershed belongs to us all

Contact us Mississippi Valley Conservation 613.259.2421 info@mvc.on.ca www.mvc.on.ca 4175 Hwy. 511 Lanark, Ontario K0G 1K0 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Riparian Conditions

GRADING A Excellent B Good C Fair D Poor F Very Poor

Measuring helps us better understand our watershed. It helps us to focus our efforts where they are needed most and track progress. It also helps us to identify healthy and ecologically important areas that require protection or enhancement.

The standards used in this report card were developed by Conservation Authorities to ensure consistent reporting across the Province of Ontario and are intended to provide watershed residents with information to protect, enhance and improve the precious resources that surround us.

We are one of 36 Conservation Authorities across Ontario under the umbrella organization of Conservation Ontario. Three Conservation Authorities work within the City of Ottawa: Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley and South Nation. For a full map of all conservation authorities in Ontario please visit www.conservation-ontario.ca

Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority has prepared this report card as a summary of the state of our forests and surface water.

A member of

B

Surface Water Quality

Clean water is essential for good quality drinking water and supporting diverse aquatic habitats. It also means vibrant recreational areas and the added aesthetic appreciation of the natural environment. Surface water quality was graded across the eleven subwatersheds.

MVC uses total phosphorous concentrations and benthic population composition to determine the surface water quality grade.

Phosphorous occurs naturally in our lakes and rivers and is necessary for the healthy development of plants and animals.

However, high concentrations of phosphorous

A

from human sources (such as sewage systems, fertilizers, pesticides and detergents) can quickly elevate phosphorous amounts to unhealthy levels. MVC samples phosphorous levels as part of the Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN) at 16 sites across the watershed.

Benthic Macroinvertebrates are the bugs that live in stream sediment; they are excellent indicators of stream health. MVC samples aquatic invertebrates as part of the Ontario Benthos Biomonitoing Network (OBBN) at 17 sites across the watershed.

What the grades mean. The subwatershed grades for surface water quality range from A to C. Areas with higher populations tend to grade lower. This may be due to higher amounts of phosphorous reaching the water because of both increased run off in paved urban areas and minimal riparian buffer at the water’s edge to filter the nutrients. MVC works with the municipalities and landowners to encourage better land use management practices , promoting shoreline planting, and providing education on the benefits of these actions.

Forest Conditions

Good forest conditions are essential to the health of the watershed and an integral part of the ecosystem. Forests literally hold it all together. They provide habitat and shade, filter water and clean the air. The status of our forests are evaluated on the amount of both forest cover, forest interior and forested riparian zone.

Forest Cover is simply the total area of the watershed covered by trees. Forest Interior refers to forested areas that are 100m from the forest edge, roads or permanent openings. Certain species, especially birds, depend on this undisturbed land for shelter. Interior forests are typically more humid have less light and fewer invasive species and predators. Due to increasing fragmentation of woodlots, forest interior is becoming increasingly rare, making it a key habitat type for preservation efforts.

What the grades mean. The entire watershed scores very well in terms of overall forest cover and forest interior, with all but one of the sub-watersheds receiving an A in forest cover, all but two scoring an A on forest interior, and with no scores below B in both categories. This is not surprising given the predominantly rural character of the watershed where large tracts of forested land still remain. The lower grades in the west end of the watershed reflect areas where forested areas have been cleared to make way for agricultural and urbanization.

B

Riparian Conditions

The percentage forested riparian zone is a measure of the amount of forest cover within a 30 m riparian zone adjacent to streams and lakes. Forested riparian zones improve water quality by filtering surface runoff before it enters the stream. They also provide connecting corridors that birds and animals need to move safely between the areas that provide food, shelter, breeding habitat, and other life sustaining features.

Many landowners, unaware of the importance of this area, have cleared the shorelines of native vegetation and replaced it with lawns, non-native ornamental vegetation, retaining walls and boathouses. This has had a negative effect on fish and wildlife habitat and water quality. Natural vegetation retained or restored along the shoreline helps prevent erosion and improves water quality by binding nutrients before they can enter the lake.

What the grades mean. The scoring for forested riparian zone are more variable across the watershed showing a progression from A to B grades in the less urbanized western watershed areas to C and D grades in the eastern end of the watershed. Again this is largely a reflection of differences in predominant land use (see forest conditions), and is an issue that can be reversed with good stewardship activities and land planning.

Groundwater Quality—Groundwater is an integral part of our ecosystem as a storage basin of water that has been filtered through many layers of soil and rock. This water then flows underground to outlets known as springs where it becomes part of the surface water system of creeks, ponds, and rivers. As part of the Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network there are nine wells throughout the watershed used to measure groundwater quality. This program is new and there is currently insufficient data to report on.

Watershed Watch is a lake health monitoring program. The Mississippi Valley is unique in that is has more than 200 inland lakes. MVC has long recognized the recreational and aesthetic value of lakes within the watershed and are committed to maintaining and protecting water quality and fish habitat.

Reliable environmental information is collected to document current water quality conditions. The information is used to

encourage sound stewardship practices to help preserve and protect water quality. MVC encourages shoreline residents to become personal stewards of their lakes and helps them take an active role in restoring and enhancing their shoreline.

Sixty lakes are monitored on a five year cycle and sampled for total phosphorous and chlorophyll a nutrients, water clarity, invasive species and fish species.

Landowner Advisory Services is a free land management resource program that provides an opportunity for watershed landowners and MVC to meet and work toward mutual goals for the good of the environment and the landowner. This initiative helps land owners access professional advice through the conservation authority on a variety of topics such as forest, wetland and habitat management for private, commercial, agricultural and recreational land uses. Some service examples are: On-site—Landowners with property exceeding five acres benefit from on-site visits.; Planning—Extensive

land management needs and solutions detailed in a written summary advising landowners of options and a guide to getting started; Referrals—Public and private organizations provide land management services to landowners. Once needs are determined, MVC can refer clients to the appropriate organization.

Shoreline Planting is a free shoreline vegetation planting service to waterfront property owners. Plans, labour, and materials, are provided.

Individualized planting plans are designed to let you enjoy your property with the benefits naturalization can bring . Each plan is site specific.