News from: July 2018

TAY WATERSHED — Discover and explore the Tay Watershed at the Friends of the Tay Watershed's 18th Annual Watershed Discovery Day. The event takes place on Saturday, August 18 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Perth Farmers' Market.

For full details click here.

OTTAWA WEST and RIDEAU WATERSHED — If you have marginal land or abandoned farm fields, now is the time to take advantage of significant subsidies to covert the land to forests.

“Many landowners are choosing to make their land more productive and enjoyable by planting trees,” says Scott Danford, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) Forestry Program Manager. “There are significant subsidies available to help landowners plan, prepare and plant their forests. Planting two acres will cost landowners less than $300.”

Typical costs for the RVCA’s full-service tree-planting program are $0.15/tree ($120/acre). The RVCA and its planting partners covers all additional costs. Landowners interested in having one acre or more (0.4 hectares) planted in trees should meet with RVCA staff to start planning now.

“We have been planting trees since 1983 and have planted more than 6 million trees,” says Danford. “We are committed to helping landowners meet their reforestation needs, while increasing tree cover throughout the Rideau watershed.”

Woodlands can be established in old fields by promoting natural succession, but few landowners have the time or patience for this option. The quicker option is to plant trees through the Conservation Authority’s program. The RVCA’s tree planting program can help move things on a little faster. Professional staff will meet with landowners to discuss their interests and needs. RVCA staff will also inspect the site’s conditions to help create a unique, individualized planting plan. The types of trees being planted will reflect the needs of the landowner and the site conditions — the goal being to plant the right tree in the right place to get the best chance of survival and growth.

Now is the time to book your free site visit by contacting Scott Danford, RVCA Forestry Program Manager at 613-692-3571 or 1-800-387-5304, ext. 1175.

August 2, 2018 –  This statement is to advise that the low water status in the Rideau River watershed has been reduced to Minor Severity.

Longer range forecasts indicate warmer and dryer than normal through the rest of the summer and into the fall. If that forecast comes to pass, flows and levels can be expected to fall well below normal. Present conditions are generally close to normal but because of declining flows and forecasts, the low water status is being reduced from Moderate to Minor Severity rather than being withdrawn entirely.

Record rainfall was measured at several climate monitoring stations in eastern Ontario through July 21 – 28. Forecast amounts were exceeded throughout the Rideau watershed. The result was streamflows above the historical averages for the time of year in most cases.

However, flows are declining again and can be expected to descend below average once more with limited rain forecast and days with 30 degree temperatures causing evaporation. Except for Bobs Lake, the Rideau Canal reservoir lakes are 10 to 20 centimetres below targets at levels scheduled to be reached by late September. Bobs Lake, presently about 10 cm below the rule curve, is at levels expected to be reached by a week and a half into August. A better indicator may be the long term historical averages which reflect how difficult it is to maintain lake levels to a prescribed elevation. This summer, levels on all of the reservoir lakes have been typically below the historical average.

Kemptville Creek has responded little to the rainfall. Smaller tributary streams are again going dry after brief increases. The Creek itself has flows about 6% of normal measured downstream of Oxford Mills compared to, for example, the Jock River at twice normal for the time of year. With such flows that are occurring in the Kemptville Creek sub-watershed, habitat for fish and other aquatic creatures is diminished and populations are likely to be affected.

The full impact on agriculture of the kind of conditions presently being experienced in the Rideau watershed is never known until the crops are harvested. How well each crop does depends entirely on timing and quantity of rain and heating temperatures.

Water conservation should be practiced by everyone within the Rideau River watershed. Use of rain barrels to capture water for lawns and gardens, avoiding using pressure washers to clean houses, driveways, decks and fences are actions that contribute to the conservation of our water resources. Municipalities may have invoked water restrictions so check your municipal website for applicable bylaws. Those who have permits for taking water from surface or groundwater sources are encouraged to reduce their actual taking as much as possible.

Conservation Authority staff continue to monitor conditions and communicate with water managers throughout the watershed. Updates to this message will be issued as conditions warrant.

Other relevant information sources are:

Ministry of Environment and Climate Change: https://www.ontario.ca/page/managing-your-water-well-times-water-shortage

Ontario’s Low Water Response program: https://www.ontario.ca/page/low-water-response-program.

RVCA website: www.rvca.ca

Hourly and daily streamflows and water levels: https://www.rvca.ca/watershed-monitoring-reporting/reporting/streamflow-water-levels .

This statement is to advise that the low water status in the Rideau River watershed has been reduced to Minor Severity.

Longer range forecasts indicate warmer and dryer than normal through the rest of the summer and into the fall. If that forecast comes to pass, flows and levels can be expected to fall well below normal. Present conditions are generally close to normal but because of declining flows and forecasts, the low water status is being reduced from Moderate to Minor Severity rather than being withdrawn entirely.

Record rainfall was measured at several climate monitoring stations in eastern Ontario through July 21 – 28. Forecast amounts were exceeded throughout the Rideau watershed. The result was streamflows above the historical averages for the time of year in most cases.

However, flows are declining again and can be expected to descend below average once more with limited rain forecast and days with 30 degree temperatures causing evaporation. Except for Bobs Lake, the Rideau Canal reservoir lakes are 10 to 20 centimetres below targets at levels scheduled to be reached by late September. Bobs Lake, presently about 10 cm below the rule curve, is at levels expected to be reached by a week and a half into August. A better indicator may be the long term historical averages which reflect how difficult it is to maintain lake levels to a prescribed elevation. This summer, levels on all of the reservoir lakes have been typically below the historical average.

Kemptville Creek has responded little to the rainfall. Smaller tributary streams are again going dry after brief increases. The Creek itself has flows about 6% of normal measured downstream of Oxford Mills compared to, for example, the Jock River at twice normal for the time of year. With such flows that are occurring in the Kemptville Creek sub-watershed, habitat for fish and other aquatic creatures is diminished and populations are likely to be affected.

The full impact on agriculture of the kind of conditions presently being experienced in the Rideau watershed is never known until the crops are harvested. How well each crop does depends entirely on timing and quantity of rain and heating temperatures.

Water conservation should be practiced by everyone within the Rideau River watershed. Use of rain barrels to capture water for lawns and gardens, avoiding using pressure washers to clean houses, driveways, decks and fences are actions that contribute to the conservation of our water resources. Municipalities may have invoked water restrictions so check your municipal website for applicable bylaws. Those who have permits for taking water from surface or groundwater sources are encouraged to reduce their actual taking as much as possible.

Conservation Authority staff continue to monitor conditions and communicate with water managers throughout the watershed. Updates to this message will be issued as conditions warrant.

Other relevant information sources are:

Ministry of Environment and Climate Change: https://www.ontario.ca/page/managing-your-water-well-times-water-shortage

Ontario’s Low Water Response program: https://www.ontario.ca/page/low-water-response-program.

RVCA website: www.rvca.ca

Hourly and daily streamflows and water levels: https://www.rvca.ca/watershed-monitoring-reporting/reporting/streamflow-water-levels .