Regulation Mapping Update Public Consultation

The public consultation for NVCA’s 2024 Regulation Mapping Update is now closed. If you have submitted comments, NVCA staff will review your submission and may refine the mapping where appropriate. If more details are needed, staff may contact you.

About the Regulation Mapping Update Public Consultation

The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) has the responsibility to regulate development in natural hazard areas in order to avoid the loss of life and damage to property due to flooding and erosion. Learn more about the natural hazards found in our watershed here.

The draft regulation mapping layers can be viewed on our interactive tool that shows where natural hazards may occur in the Nottawasaga Watershed. If your property is in a regulated area, you may require approval from NVCA before starting your project.

On April 1, 2024, Prohibited Activities, Exemptions and Permits (Ontario Regulation 41/24) and Part VI of the Conservation Authorities Act came into effect, replacing the previous regulation that NVCA followed.

Under the new regulation and the Conservation Authorities Act, NVCA must annually update regulation mapping to show the areas in the Nottawasaga Watershed where development is prohibited.

If your property is located in the Nottawasaga Watershed, we encourage you to review our draft regulation mapping updates and learn more about what it may mean for you and your property.

Review NVCA's draft regulation mapping updates here

Public Open House

NVCA held open houses on April 1 and April 8, 2025 to assist property owners review regulation changes.

How was the draft regulation mapping updated?

By using the best available information and collection techniques, such as LiDAR and refining modelling, NVCA can provide more accurate and informed planning decisions about future development. These updates also give NVCA the information required to make the Nottawasaga Watershed safer for our communities.

What’s included in this current update?

New requirements under Ontario Regulation 41/24, including reducing the regulated buffer around wetlands from 120 m to 30 m
Approved flood hazard studies in communities such are Creemore and Wasaga Beach
Shoreline hazard studies from 2017
Slope hazard identification
Improved GIS capabilities and ground truthing information

The total area regulated has changed in several areas. Between the 2013 and 2024, there has been a 18.6% decrease in the amount of land regulated in the watershed. This amounts to 32,061 ha. Here is a summary of changes:

Wetlands: Updated 4,296 wetland boundaries through orthophoto interpretation; 651 boundaries through staff field visits; and 905 boundaries from MNRF and Consultant reports.
Slopes: Updated 580 areas of slope stability hazard (27,521 hectares) using newly acquired LiDAR elevation data.
Flood: Incorporated 2 new flood studies utilizing 2D modelling and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) elevation data to update 2,121 hectares of floodplain mapping in the Upper Mad River subwatershed and the Lower Nottawasaga River reach.
Shoreline: Updated shoreline hazard mapping along 42 km of shoreline using the 2017 ShorePlan study.