Mississippi Watershed Report Card

The standards used in this report card were developed by Conservation

Authorities to ensure consistent reporting across the Province of Ontario and

are intended to provide watershed residents with information to protect,

enhance and improve the precious resources that surround us.

GRADING

A Excellent

B Good

C Fair

D Poor

F Very Poor

Riparian Conditions

Forest Conditions

Surface Water Quality

What Are We Doing?What Are We Doing?What Are We Doing?

WATERSHEDWATERSHED Report Card 2013Report Card 2013

We are one of 36 Conservation Authorities across Ontario under the umbrella

organization of Conservation Ontario. Three Conservation Authorities work within

the City of Ottawa: Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley and South Nation. For a full map

of all conservation authorities in Ontario please visit www.conservation-ontario.ca

A member of

MVC continues to expand its monitoring program to create

an accurate picture of the health of the watershed .

Identifying gaps in data in the first watershed report card

release helped us determine where we need to focus our

monitoring and expand our sampling sites.

Private landowners are a key resource when trying to

maintain the health of the watershed. MVC has been

working with landowners to provide support for

stewardship projects that benefit the landowner and all who depend on the watershed through

advice, materials (trees/shrubs) and on the ground labour.

A floodplain mapping upgrade project within the City of Ottawa—started in the fall of 2012 —

will enable staff , the City, and landowners to more accurately see potential effects of

development in this urban area .

Citizen Science based monitoring programs along urban waterways has provided more data for

analysis and engaged the public in acting for the health of the watershed.

Lake landowners , in the form of lake

associations or property owners groups,

have worked with the conservation

authority to create stewardship based

best practices guidelines for their lakes.

Mississippi Valley

Conservation Authority has

prepared this report card as a

summary of the state of our

forests and surface water.

Mississippi Valley Watershed Overall ScoreMississippi Valley Watershed Overall ScoreMississippi Valley Watershed Overall Score

There are many simple steps that watershed

residents, visitors and other stakeholders can take

to help maintain the health of the Mississippi Valley:

Plant trees along your shoreline

Volunteer for Check Your Watershed Day

Become a Citizen Scientist and collect wildlife and

water data

Join or start a Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup

site near you

Be aware of your phosphorous use

Maintain your septic system

Wash boat before visiting other water bodies

Join a lake association or field naturalist club

Educate yourself on what it means to have a

healthy watershed , then pass it on

Join MVC Climate Change adaptation discussions

Talk to Conservation Authority staff

the watershed belongs to us all

What You Can DoWhat You Can Do

Mississippi Valley

Measuring helps us better understand our watershed. It helps us to focus our

efforts where they are needed most and track progress. It also helps us to

identify healthy and ecologically important areas that require protection or

enhancement.

Contact us Mississippi Valley Conservation

613.259.2421 [email protected] www.mvc.on.ca 4175 Hwy. 511 Lanark, Ontario K0G 1K0

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GRADING

A Excellent

B Good

C Fair

D Poor

F Very Poor

Riparian Conditions

Forest Conditions

A member of

Mississippi Valley

water data

site near you

Mississippi Valley

enhancement.

GRADING

A Excellent

B Good

C Fair

D Poor

F Very Poor

Riparian Conditions

Forest Conditions

A member of

Mississippi Valley

water data

site near you

Mississippi Valley

enhancement.

Forest ConditionsForest ConditionsForest Conditions

Good forest conditions are essential to the health of the watershed and an integral part of the

ecosystem. Forests literally hold it all together. They provide habitat and shade, filter water and

clean the air. The status of our forests are evaluated on the amount of both forest cover, forest

interior and forested riparian zone.

Forest Cover is simply the total area of the watershed covered by trees. Forest Interior refers

to forested areas that are 100m from the forest edge, roads or permanent openings. Certain

species, especially birds, depend on this undisturbed land for shelter. Interior forests are

typically more humid have less light and fewer invasive species and predators. Due to

increasing fragmentation of woodlots, forest interior is becoming increasingly rare, making it a

key habitat type for preservation efforts.

Riparian ConditionsRiparian ConditionsRiparian Conditions Surface Water QualitySurface Water QualitySurface Water Quality B A B

Landowner Advisory Services is a free land management resource program

that provides an opportunity for watershed landowners and MVC to meet and

work toward mutual goals for the good of the environment and the

landowner. This initiative helps land owners access professional advice

through the conservation authority on a variety of topics such as forest,

wetland and habitat management for private, commercial, agricultural and

recreational land uses. Some service examples are: On-site—Landowners with

property exceeding five acres benefit from on-site visits.; Planning—Extensive

land management needs and solutions detailed in a written summary advising

landowners of options and a guide to getting started; Referrals—Public and

private organizations provide land management services to landowners. Once

needs are determined, MVC can refer clients to the appropriate organization.

Shoreline Planting is a free shoreline vegetation planting service to

waterfront property owners. Plans, labour, and materials, are provided.

Individualized planting plans are designed to let you enjoy your property with

the benefits naturalization can bring . Each plan is site specific.

Watershed Watch is a lake health monitoring program. The

Mississippi Valley is unique in that is has more than 200 inland

lakes. MVC has long recognized the recreational and aesthetic

value of lakes within the watershed and are committed to

maintaining and protecting water quality and fish habitat.

Reliable environmental information is collected to document

current water quality conditions. The information is used to

encourage sound stewardship practices to help preserve and

protect water quality. MVC encourages shoreline residents to

become personal stewards of their lakes and helps them take

an active role in restoring and enhancing their shoreline.

Sixty lakes are monitored on a five year cycle and sampled for

total phosphorous and chlorophyll a nutrients, water clarity,

invasive species and fish species.

Clean water is essential for good quality

drinking water and supporting diverse aquatic

habitats. It also means vibrant recreational

areas and the added aesthetic appreciation of

the natural environment. Surface water quality

was graded across the eleven subwatersheds.

MVC uses total phosphorous concentrations

and benthic population composition to

determine the surface water quality grade.

Phosphorous occurs naturally in our lakes

and rivers and is necessary for the healthy

development of plants and animals.

However, high concentrations of phosphorous

from human sources (such as sewage systems,

fertilizers, pesticides and detergents) can

quickly elevate phosphorous amounts to

unhealthy levels. MVC samples phosphorous

levels as part of the Provincial Water Quality

Monitoring Network (PWQMN) at 16 sites

a c r o s s t h e w a t e r s h e d . B e n t h i c

Macroinvertebrates are the bugs that live in

stream sediment; they are excellent

indicators of stream health. MVC samples

aquatic invertebrates as part of the Ontario

Benthos Biomonitoing Network (OBBN) at 17

sites across the watershed.

What the grades mean. The subwatershed grades for surface

water quality range from A to C. Areas with higher populations

tend to grade lower. This may be due to higher amounts of

phosphorous reaching the water because of both increased run off

in paved urban areas and minimal riparian buffer at the water’s

edge to filter the nutrients. MVC works with the municipalities and

landowners to encourage better land use management practices ,

promoting shoreline planting, and providing education on the

benefits of these actions.

What the grades mean. The entire watershed scores very well in

terms of overall forest cover and forest interior, with all but one of the

sub-watersheds receiving an A in forest cover, all but two scoring an A

on forest interior, and with no scores below B in both categories. This

is not surprising given the predominantly rural character of the

watershed where large tracts of forested land still remain. The lower

grades in the west end of the watershed reflect areas where forested

areas have been cleared to make way for agricultural and

urbanization.

The percentage forested riparian zone is a measure of the amount of forest cover within a 30 m

riparian zone adjacent to streams and lakes. Forested riparian zones improve water quality by

filtering surface runoff before it enters the stream. They also provide connecting corridors that

birds and animals need to move safely between the areas that provide food, shelter, breeding

habitat, and other life sustaining features.

Many landowners, unaware of the importance of this area, have cleared the shorelines of

native vegetation and replaced it with lawns, non-native ornamental vegetation, retaining

walls and boathouses. This has had a negative effect on fish and wildlife habitat and water

quality. Natural vegetation retained or restored along the shoreline helps prevent erosion and

improves water quality by binding nutrients before they can enter the lake.

What the grades mean. The scoring for forested riparian zone are more variable across the

watershed showing a progression from A to B grades in the less urbanized western watershed

areas to C and D grades in the eastern end of the watershed. Again this is largely a reflection of

differences in predominant land use (see forest conditions), and is an issue that can be

reversed with good stewardship activities and land planning.

Groundwater Quality—Groundwater is an integral part of our ecosystem as a storage basin of water that

has been filtered through many layers of soil and rock. This water then flows underground to outlets

known as springs where it becomes part of the surface water system of creeks, ponds, and rivers. As part

of the Provincial Groundwater Monitoring Network there are nine wells throughout the watershed used

to measure groundwater quality. This program is new and there is currently insufficient data to report on.

Mississippi Watershed Report Card

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