Newsletter - December 1998

The Drinking Water, Wastewater and Watershed Standards Section of the Standards Development Branch (the Water Section), MOE, is continuing to promote and encourage ecosystem-based watershed management across the Province of Ontario by providing advice, and policy, scientific and technical information on watershed management.

In Ontario, the practice of watershed management has evolved over the last few decades. It has become more comprehensive by integrating and addressing a broader range of resource and environmental protection issues and by more thoroughly evaluating important linkages between land and water, between surface and ground water and between water quality and water quantity.

In 1993, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) released three guidance documents to provide advice on how to voluntarily carry out watershed management studies and how the results could be implemented by municipalities through the planning process. The three documents: Water Management on a Watershed Basis: Implementing an Ecosystem Approach, Subwatershed Planning, and Integrating Water Management Objectives into Municipal Planning Documents provide a basis for ensuring both the sustainability of water and related resources and the long term economic and social health of the urban and rural communities they serve.

An Evaluation of Watershed Management in Ontario - Final Report, 1997 identified that the scientific and technical components of watershed management needed improvement in the following areas:

* predictive modeling and impact analysis for watershed management proposals;

* interactions/linkages among the ten essential scientific components (aquatics, terrestrial, hydrology, stream morphology, water quality, groundwater/hydrogeology, economics, social, mapping and data management, and integration);

* Geographic Information Systems technology and expertise; and,

* economics of prevention versus remediation approaches achieved through watershed management.

Watershed management supports the Provincial Policy Statement under the Planning Act by providing mechanisms to balance environmental, economic and social interests in the community. If done as part of a comprehensive planning process, watershed management can provide much of the "front-end" information needed to expedite the development approval process.

Municipalities that have implemented watershed management through official plan policies are realizing a number of economic, environmental and social benefits including:

* reduction in capital expenditures for storm drainage works;

* approval of urban developments which have protected watercourses, valleylands, wetlands and greenspaces;

* resolution of competing community interests without the need for costly referrals to the Ontario Municipal Board; and,

* developers have found their development approvals are speedier.

A joint MOE and MNR report entitled Inventory of Watershed Management Projects in Ontario, 1990-1995 provides details on the 87 watershed and subwatershed management projects initiated in Ontario between 1990 and 1995. The report provides detailed information on study area characteristics, plan completion and implementation, financial information and study participation for the 87 projects.

Inventory Report Findings

* Forty-one studies were lead by municipalities 38 by conservation authorities, two by provincial agencies, five by developers/consulting firms, and one by a private citizens' group,

* most projects were initiated due to development pressure and to augment resource protection and remediation ­ other reasons included: Canadian Heritage River designation, hydro electric development and land use plans and approvals,

* total cost of a typical watershed management project ranged from $30,000 to $896,000 - the median cost is $150,000,

* majority of project budget was spent on data inventory and analysis which amounted to 55% of the total cost of a project,

* most expensive scientific component is hydrology and flooding/erosion which accounted for a median cost of 27% ($25,250).

MOE, MNR and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) are working together to develop products for distribution to stakeholders and other interested persons or groups who want toundertake watershed management studies.

A Watershed Action Guide - A Practical Guide for Building Partnerships, Projects and Processes for a Sustainable Watershed, October 1998 was prepared by MNR, MOE and MMAH to provide practical information for building partnerships, projects and processes for a sustainable watershed. The guide is intended for individuals or groups which initiate, lead and participate in ecosystem-based watershed management across the province. The guide is available at a cost of $30.00 per copy from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Information Centre, General Inquiry (416) 314-2000.

In addition, staff from the MOE's Water Section are currently developing a number of watershed management products including community outreach documents (newsletters, fact sheets), technical documents, and Internet access to information.

A technical manual Formulating Management Objectives for Management on an Ecosystem Scale was published in July 1998. The manual describes the underlying rationale, skills and knowledge required for this task, the process, and a number of evaluation criteria for judging completeness of draft management objectives.

Staff from the Water Section were involved in organizing a two day Riparian Zone Workshop in October at the Grand River Conservation Authority in Cambridge. The purpose of the workshop was to review and discuss Ontario's Riparian Zone Issues and to open opportunities for networking. The workshop was attended by research scientists/academic community, program managers, practitioners, special interest groups and landowners. All participants agreed that better management of riparian zones is necessary. Promotion vehicles and implementation tools are needed for landowners and communities to increase adoption, for example, targeted education and communication; better defined ownerships and benefits; innovative approaches for the bigger picture; planning process and "how to" management tools.

The Water Section, in cooperation with Environment Canada and the International Association of Hydrogeologists, hosted a three-day conference on December 2-4, 1998 at CCIW in Burlington. The conference, Groundwater in a Watershed Context, focussed on current issues, stressed practical solutions, and provided groundwater information and tools to those involved or concerned with watershed management.

The following watershed management reports are currently available through the Ministry of Environment Public Information Centre at (416) 325-4000 or 1-800-565-4923, or through www.ene.gov.on.ca

* Water Management on a Watershed Basis: Implementing an Ecosystem Approach, 1993.

* Subwatershed Planning, 1993.

* Integrating Water Management Objectives into Municipal Planning Documents, 1993.

* An Evaluation of Watershed Management in Ontario - Final Report, 1997.

* Inventory of Watershed Management Projects in Ontario, 1990-1995, 1997.

For further information on ecosystem-based watershed management please contact: Gary Bowen (416) 327-6409, Mark Gordon (416) 327-6807, Karen Jones (416) 235-5827 or Zdenek Novak (416) 327-7211.

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