Watershed Monitoring
NVCA Watershed Report Cards - A Summary of Watershed Health
In 2007, the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority released its first set of user-friendly Watershed Report Cards that provide a broad overview of forest, stream and wetland health within the Nottawasaga Valley watershed. The report cards communicate the state of ecosystem health and provide recommendations for the protection of healthy systems and restoration of degraded areas.
Just as students receive grades assessing their performance and recommendations for further improvement, the Watershed Report Cards provide an evaluation of watershed conditions and an action plan for future improvements. The main watershed report card provides a summary of watershed conditions across the Nottawasaga Valley. It is accompanied by 10 subwatershed report cards that provide more detailed descriptions of individual subwatershed conditions.
Forest and wetland conditions in the Nottawasaga Valley watershed are generally good - they currently meet Environment Canada's minimum guidelines for healthy watersheds and achieve a "B" grade; however, forest and wetland cover are under pressure from urban development and farmland expansion in some areas of the watershed.
Overall, surface water quality within the Nottawasaga Valley watershed scores a "D" grade. Although surface water quality is good within 7 of the 10 subwatershed areas, combined watershed impacts result in fair to poor water quality in the Innisfil Creek Subwatershed and the main Nottawasaga River downstream of Alliston. Recent studies have confirmed that high nutrient (phosphorus) loading is the most significant water quality issue within the watershed.
The 2007 Watershed Report Cards provide a baseline which can be used to track changes in land use and ecosystem health over time. The Watershed Report Cards will be updated every five years to communicate ecosystem health and trends to watershed residents and stakeholders.
To read the report cards, click on the links below:
NEW - Bass Lake Report Card
Bass Lake stewardship suggestions
Groundwater report
This report describes groundwater conditions throughout the watershed, our reliance on the resource, and stewardship actions to help maintain the health of the system.
2009 Groundwater Overview
Watershed report cards
2007 Watershed Report Card
Sub-watershed report cards:
Upper Nottawasaga River
Mid Nottawasaga River
Lower Nottawasaga River
Boyne River
Innisfil Creek
Pine River
Willow Creek
Blue Mountains
Mad River
Severn Sound Headwaters