With historic flooding in 2017 and again in 2019, questions abound about what is being done - or not done - to avoid future floods.
And it has sparked a conversation about the role of conservation authorities.
You may not have heard of runoff, but you've definitely seen it.
It's those curbside streams rushing into thirsty drains during a big rainstorm; the steady trickle down a soapy driveway as you wash your car.
Runoff is surface water that can't absorb into the ground before it reaches a waterway. In developed areas, more pavement means fewer opportunities for the water to soak in.
Runoff picks up all the oils, chemicals, dirt and pollution it finds on the road and other paved surfaces and washes them down the storm drain. Those contaminants flow into the nearest catch basin, which ultimately drains into nearby lakes and rivers.
This can pollute the water and upset the local ecosystem. The excess water can even contribute to flooding.
Our little pond is growing up.
This spring, residents in Old Ottawa South have noticed mysterious logs and root wads rising out of Brewer Pond – something they've never witnessed since the RVCA and its partners restored the pond to a functioning wetland in 2014.
When photographer Jon Stuart first visited the Stillwater wetland off Moodie Drive in the early days of the pandemic, he could tell something was a little off.
Tree branches stuck out of the water, but there were no trees nearby. In the distanced towered a lone mature elm tree – an unusual wetland resident.
It's a bright sunny morning on March 22. You've woken up in Eastern Ontario to warming and lengthening days but also to soggy ground, rising creeks and rivers, swollen wetlands, and cold rain in the days before and ahead.
What does all this water have in common? Groundwater, of course - but you knew that, at least you knew it intuitively in the depths of your watery core.
NEPEAN, October 9, 2021 – An unhealthy section of creek and a dried-up wetland have gotten an extreme makeover thanks to great community partnerships and a nearby Stage 2 LRT construction project along Moodie Drive.
If the land could talk, imagine its stories.
Thankfully, at Motts Mills Conservation Area we can at least tell you about the past 200 years, and how the historic dam has long shaped the Hutton Marsh wetland and the community it serves.
Water quality in our local lakes and rivers start right at home, where you wash your car, walk your dog and plant your gardens. The more you can reduce the amount of rain, meltwater and chemicals like fertilizers and detergents that drain into the storm sewer, the better our water quality will be.
Check out our interactive graphic to see which side of the street you're on.
Ian Cochrane has a family history of forestry and conservation. As the RVCA's new forestry manager, he has fully embraced his calling – bugs and all – to plant more than 200,000 trees a year for a more resilient community, planet and future.
So, you're buying in the country for the first time: congratulations! Moving out of the city can be one of the most rewarding decisions you'll ever make – especially now that many of us can work from home.
But rural and waterfront properties come with unique challenges, and without the right help you could end up with a lemon.
Here are our top five tips to consider before you sign on the dotted line.
There's a misconception out there that your local conservation authority is out to stop all development. But in reality the RVCA approves more than 90% of the applications it receives; our regulations inspectors and planners work with applicants to come up with plans that can suit the property owner, the provincial regulations and the watershed all at once.
Not convinced? Meet Hal Stimson, long-time inspector with the RVCA:
No Swim advisories are no fun, but our aquatic experts are working hard to keep our water and beaches clean – one wetland restoration at a time.
The Black Rapids wetland project is a perfect example of how a natural feature like a wetland can act as a water treatment plant to filter pollution out of the water - reducing the impact on our summer fun at the same time.
You know what they say: "If you build it, they will come." But that old adage isn't just for haunted baseball fields – it also applies to wetland projects right in the heart of Ottawa's greenbelt.
Last fall, staff at the RVCA and the National Capital Commission created 10,000 square metres of new wetland habitat along Stillwater Creek, just south of the new DND headquarters off Moodie Drive and Highway 417.
Thanks to observations from the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre, which is located nearby, staff at the NCC and RVCA discovered the wetland had been suffering annually from extreme low water conditions. Most of the year the wetland was completely dry, dominated by long, reedy grasses that don't encourage much biodiversity.
Conservation authorities, at their core, are tasked with protecting people and property from flooding and other hazards along a waterway. Our planning and regulation staff review development applications that impact wetlands, rivers and other waterways, or that involve flood plains and unstable slopes. We continually update and create new hazard maps to make sure development is out of the way of rising waters, and we work hard to keep residents informed about flood risks.
But we also rely on our community partners to help us reach out to residents.
May 3, 2019 - As thousands of Canadian students walked out of class to protest climate policies on May 3, a group of Nepean High School students were going back to basics.
Shovels in hand, the 14-person crew braved wet weather to plant 500 trees at MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre in Cumberland. Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) provided the seedlings and taught the students how and where to plant them.
