CONSERVATION 2007-2011 Beatty Saugeen River Watershed R E P O R T C A R D A report on the general condition of the Beatty Saugeen River Watershed 2013 Watershed Perspective The Beatty Saugeen River is a tributary of the Main Saugeen River draining approximately 274 ES square kilometres. The river system is 46 kilometres in length with an average gradient of 4.5 E GRAD ERAG metres per kilometre. The main source of the Beatty Saugeen River is found in the eastern rural AV ditions est Con wooded wetlands of the Township of Southgate (former Egremont Township). The system drains For ns B onditio into the South Saugeen River immediately west of Hanover, Township of Southgate. land C Wet ality A ter Qu ce Wa The headwaters area is located almost entirely in the Dundalk Till Plain. In spite of the elevation of Surfa lity r Qua this area, drainage is slow, resulting in swamps, bogs and poorly drained depressions. The B dwate AGroun remainder of the watershed is located within both the Horseshoe Moraine and the Teeswater Ni Drumlin Field. Forest Conditions With an average grade of 'B' for forest conditions, the Beatty Saugeen River Watershed meets the Environment Canada guidelines of 30% forest cover. Both forest cover and riparian cover scored a 'B' grade. The recommendation is that 50% of the 30 metre wide riparian zone should have forest cover. The Beatty Saugeen River Watershed has 47.7% of the riparian zone forested. The grade for forest interior was a 'C' which remains the same as the last report card. Environment Canada recommends at least 10% forest interior to sustain plant and animal species. This watershed had only 6.7% of its area as forest interior. Forest patch size should be increased to meet this target. From 2007-2011 there were 11,380 trees planted in this watershed through the Grey Bruce Forestry Service. Additional tree planting should be considered to ensure Wetland Conditions the forest conditions are improved or at a minimum, maintained. This report card summarizes the conditions of both 'evaluated' and 'unevaluated' wetlands. Since the last set of report cards summarized only the 'evaluated' wetlands the present results cannot be compared to the previous report card. When considering the presence of all wetlands, the Beatty Saugeen River Watershed scores an 'A' grade with 23% wetland cover. Care should be taken to protect and maintain existing wetlands. Surface Water Quality The Beatty Saugeen River scores an average grade of 'B' for surface water quality. When comparing scores using the new grading system, the overall grade is the same as on the last report card. The average total phosphorus concentration falls below the provincial water quality objective of 0.03 mg/L. E. coli is below the recreational guidelines of 100 CFU/100mL but counts do increase after storm events. The grades for total phosphorus and E. coli stayed the same but the grade for the benthic invertebrates went down from a 'B' to a 'C' grade. Changes in the benthic invertebrate community are seen as early indicators of deterioration in water quality, therefore, efforts must continue to encourage landowners and the agricultural community to preserve and enhance natural land cover. Current stressors such as climate change and invasive species could pose significant threats in this watershed, therefore, efforts should be made to address these stressors to maintain or improve the current scores. Groundwater Quality GRADE DESCRIPTION There are no monitoring wells located within this watershed, A = Excellent ecosystem conditions. Some protection and however, it should be noted that groundwater aquifers do not enhancement may be required. conform to watershed boundaries but rather flow in an east to west B = Good ecosystem conditions. Some areas may require direction through the watershed. Other monitoring wells in the enhancement and/or improvements. area have excellent water quality. Different types of aquifers exist C = Ecosystem conditions that warrant general improvements. D = Poor ecosystem conditions. Overall improvements necessary. throughout the region and the quality of individual wells on private F = Degraded ecosystem. Conditions in need of considerable property may vary from that of the provincial monitoring wells. improvement. Beatty Saugeen River Watershed 2002-2006 2007-2011 2007-2011 Trend Indicators Indicator Description % of AREA % of AREA Grade * * Forest cover is the percentage of the watershed that is forested or wooded. Environment Forest Cover 31.4 31.8 B Canada suggests that 30% forest cover is the minimum needed to support healthy wildlife habitat. Forest interior refers to the protected core area found inside a woodlot. It is the sheltered, secluded environment away from forest edges and open habitats. Environment Canada recommends s Forest Interior n 7.1 6.7 C o that a minimum of 10% of a watershed should be interior forest cover to sustain plant i t i and animal species. d n o C Riparian Cover is the percentage of forested habitat along a given waterway. Environment t s Canada guidelines suggest that at least 75% of stream length should have 30 metre e r Riparian Cover ** naturally vegetated buffers. Forested vegetation represents about two-thirds with the o 47.7 B F rest being marsh, meadow, and shrub thicket. The equivalent target is 50% of the riparian zone in forest cover. Average Grade B B Grade B indicates good ecosystem conditions. Some areas may require enhancement. Wetland cover is the percentage of existing wetland in a watershed. Environment Canada s Wetland Cover n ** 23 d A suggests that 10% wetland cover is the minimum needed for a healthy watershed. o n i t a i l t d e n W o Grade A indicates excellent ecosystem conditions and protection may be required. Some areas Average Grade C - A may require enhancement to maintain this level of quality. 2002-2006 2007-2011 2007-2011 Trend Indicators Indicator Description Result Result Grade * * Benthos or benthic macroinvertebrates are large bottom dwelling insects, crustaceans, worms, mollusks, and related aquatic animals that live in watercourses. They are good indicators of water Benthic quality, responding quickly to environmental stressors such as pollutants. The Modified Family Invertebrates 4.08 5.35 C Biotic Index (FBI) using New York State tolerance values provide stream health y information and values range from 1 (healthy) to 10 (degraded). t i l a Total phosphorus is indicative of nutrient levels within a watercourse. Phosphorus is required for u Q the growth of aquatic plants and algae, however, concentrations above the Provincial Water Quality r Total Phosphorus 0.013 0.015 e t (mg/L) A Objective may result in unhealthy stream conditions. The Provincial Water Quality Objective a (mg/L) W is 0.03 mg/L. e c a f 68 78 E. coli originate from the wastes of warm blooded animal, including humans, livestock, wildlife, pets r u E. coli (CFU/ (CFU/ and waterfowl. The Ontario Recreational Water Quality Guidelines suggest that waters S B 100 mL) 100 mL) with less than 100 CFUs/100mL are safe for swimming. Average Grade B B Grade B indicates good ecosystem conditions. Some areas may require enhancement. Nitrates are present in water as a result of decay of plant or animal material, the use of fertilizers, y Nitrite + Nitrate domestic sewage or treated wastewater, as well as geological formations containing soluble t N/A N/A i N/A l a nitrogen compounds. The Ontario Drinking Water Standard for nitrite + nitrate is 10 mg/L. u Q r While chloride can be naturally occurring, the presence of elevated chloride may indicate e t a Chloride N/A N/A N/A contamination from road salt, industrial discharges, or landfill leachate. The Ontario Drinking w d Water Standard for chloride is only for aesthetic purposes with an objective of 250 mg/L. n u o r There are no monitoring wells located within this watershed, however, other monitoring wells in the G Average Grade N/A N/A vicinity have good water quality achieving an A grade. * For the 2007-2011 report cards the grading system has changed. Surface water data used for this interpretation were obtained through To be able to compare the results, the scores from the 2002-2006 the Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN), the report cards were included. The new grading system was applied to Ontario Benthos Biomonitoring Network (OBBN) and Saugeen these former scores and it was then determined whether the grades Conservation's Water Quality Monitoring Network. have stayed the same , improved , or declined . Groundwater data A general determination of water quality in the ** The data was calculated differently for the previous set of report area can be made by looking at other wells in the vicinity. cards so it is not possible to compare to the 2007-2011 data. Beatty Saugeen River Watershed General Information Area Dams Groundwater Aquifer Sources 274 sq. km In total there are 24 dams in the watershed, of Salina Formation, Guelph Formation which 10 are considered large dams (greater than 3 metres in height). Municipalities Stream Flow (mean) Municipality of West Grey, Township of Mean annual flow - 6.0 cubic metres per Southgate, Town of Hanover Sewage Treatment Facilities second (cms) None Physiography Stream Flow (low) * 39% till plain (drumlinized), 34% spillway, Woodlot Size 7Q10 flow1 - 0.51 cms 7Q20 flow2 - 0.4 cms 22% kame moraine, 2% peat and muck, 1% Some large forest areas exist providing drumlin, 1% till moraine, 1% esker interior habitat as well as many interconnected smaller forests. Rare Species (obtained from the National Soils Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) 41% medium to moderately fine loam, 30% Land Use Website) silty loam, 14% organic material, 9% fine to 65% agriculture; 32% forested; 0.2% urban Redside Dace, Clamp-tipped Emerald, moderately coarse sandy loam, 5% other (may Forcipate Emerald, Massasauga Rattlesnake, include small percentages of alluvium, Scarlet Beebalm breypan, bottomlands etc), 2% coarse sandy Areas of Natural and Scientific loam and loamy sand Interest (ANSI) - none * 1 7Q10 - the lowest mean flow for seven consecutive days that has a 10-year recurrence interval period, or a 1 in 10 chance of occurring in any one year.