What Is A Watershed Plan?
A watershed plan is a document developed cooperatively be government agencies and stakeholders (watershed residents, landowners). A plan should list things that need to be done so that the watershed looks and functions as we would like it to in the future. The plan will be used as the guide for managing human activities that affect water, land/water interactions, aquatic life and aquatic resources within a particular watershed. The health of the ecosystem will be protected as land uses and management practices change. It outlines areas that should be preserved, enhanced or rehabilitated. It shows areas that are suitable for development and provides guidelines to be followed in development designs.
What are the Benefits of Watershed Planning?
- gives an understanding of the watershed's form and function and
how it relates to land use
- encourages public stewardship of the River and its environment
- allows involvement from the widest possible range of citizens provide a framework for further local planning
- reduces costs of remedial actions by preventing future problems
- allows land use planners to make better decisions about appropriate land uses
- makes watershed health central to the future health of the municipality
- provides for a streamlined development review process and coordination of government resource management programs in the watershed.
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The RVCA works on Watershed Planning at all scales
RVCA accepts a leadership and facilitating role in Watershed Planning for the six major subwatersheds of the Rideau River including:
• Kemptville Creek
• Jock River
• Tay River
• Lower Rideau
• Middle Rideau
• Rideau Lakes
RVCA actively collaborates with other organizations in watershed planning on smaller subwatersheds and "lakesheds" within these major tributaries of the Rideau, and on subwatersheds of the Ottawa River that are within the RVCA area of jurisdiction. Often, these are initiated by municipalities or local community-based organizations.
RVCA also participates with other organizations in environmental planning and management initiatives on geographical areas that are larger than, but include the RVCA area of jurisdiction.
Overview
The RVCA is in the business of "Watershed Management", and uses a process called "Watershed Planning" to decide how best to deliver on its mandate under Section 20 of the Conservation Authorities Act, which is:
"to establish and undertake, in the area over which it has jurisdiction, a program designed to further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources other than gas, oil, coal and minerals".
Water management is best done on a "watershed" basis. And Watershed Planning is the basic guiding tool of watershed management. It allows municipalities to plan at lower cost and with the full pre-arranged support of all stakeholders. It means seeing what's happening in the entire river basin. It means getting taxpayers, councilors, developers and other stakeholders together as a watershed community to identify development constraints and opportunities. It allows us to make mistakes early on paper where they are much easier and less costly to correct. Carpenters have their own saying: "measure twice, saw once". Simple concept. The many users of a shared resource agreeing in advance instead of taking each other to municipal council meetings or court. A healthy environment and a sound economy is our goal.
 The ongoing and continuous watershed management cycle has four phases:
Plan— identifying issues, setting objectives and targets, considering options and selecting the best course of action
Implement— acting on the results of the planning process,
Monitor— observing the watershed's response, and measuring the effectiveness of watershed management efforts
Review — re-examining the objectives and targets and adjusting the plan as required
Understanding
What is a Watershed?
A watershed is an area of land that drains to a given river stream or watercourse. It is sometimes known as the river's valley or natural drainage basin. Because it is a natural feature, the watershed is not made up of straight lines. In fact, the watershed boundary cuts across many man-made lines such as municipal and county boundaries.
 What are Watershed Plans?
A Watershed Plan is simply a document that describes the actions that should be taken in the watershed, to achieve a desired degree of protection and/or restoration of the water and water-dependent natural resources. A Watershed Plan is developed cooperatively by government agencies and non-government stakeholders (watershed residents, landowners, business interests) in the watershed. The plan is intended to be used as a guide for managing human activities that can affect water, land/water interactions, aquatic life and aquatic resources within a particular watershed. The health of the watershed ecosystem will be protected as land uses and management practices change.
How is the RVCA Involved in Watershed Planning
The RVCA works on Watershed Planning at two scales:
• major tributary watersheds of the Rideau
• all other subwatershed and lakesheds
Major Tributary Watersheds of the Rideau
RVCA accepts a leadership and facilitating role in Watershed Planning for the six major subwatersheds of the Rideau River including:
Click here to view a larger map of the Rideau and its major tributary watersheds
By early 2004, Watershed Management Plans will have been developed for four of these major tributary subwatersheds, as indicated by the asterisk (*) in the above list. Eventually every one of the subwatersheds will have its own watershed management plan. Each plan will be reviewed and updated every six years. At this scale, watershed management plans provide strategic direction at the program and policy level. Coordinated and effective watershed management results when the Conservation Authority, municipalities, other government departments, and interested non-government organizations make use of the plan and its recommendations when putting together their own corporate business plans and defining their own corporate policies. |
