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Hearts Desire Riparian Restoration Plan

The Hearts Desire Weir is a low-head inline structure operated seasonally on the Jock River between two communities, Hearts Desire and Stonebridge. The Jock River is a tributary river to the Rideau River located about 900 m downstream of the weir. The weir was constructed in 1975 to: provide higher summer flows and thereby improve habitat conditions for fish and wildlife; ensure adequate water for livestock watering; provide community ponds for fire protection and community beautification; and improve the year-round appearance of the river and lessen the likelihood of future pollution problems resulting from expanding urbanization.  

Over the last 42 years, a great deal about the watercourse and its neighbouring communities has changed, including:

  • concepts on how rivers and watersheds are managed,
  • occupational health and safety risks associated with the annual installation and removal of the weir,
  • concerns from local community groups about slope failures and erosion upstream of the weir; and,
  • indications from whitewater enthusiasts that the weir site is considered to be hazardous by canoeists and kayakers.

In February 2008, the RVCA Board of Directors approved the development of a plan to decommission the Hearts Desire Weir. In response to public input, a restoration plan for the Jock River and its riverbank was also initiated. The decommissioning plan and restoration plan is now in draft form and ready for public input.

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The RVCA is committed to maintaining the current operation of the weir until such a time that the Board of Directors chooses an alternative.

For more information, contact Terry Davidson at or 613-692-3571 ext. 1107 or Mike Yee at or ext. 1176.


Resources

Shoreline Property Owner Package, November 2013

Hearts Desire Riparian Restoration Concept Report, October 2011

hd-Riparian_Restoration_PlanFINAL.pdf

Appendix I: Community Representatives Meeting Minutes - September 2010 and Open House Meeting Notes - December 2010

Parish Geomorphic Hydraulic Modeling Technical Report, July 2011(11 mb)

J.L. Richards and Associates Ltd. Jock River Conservation Study, June 1968

Contact Us

Address:
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
3889 Rideau Valley Drive
Manotick, Ontario K4M 1A5

Phone:
613-692-3571, 1-800-267-3504

Email:

Hours:

Regular Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Member of: conservation ontario