KEMPTVILLE CREEK Subwatershed Report 2013 A report on the environmental health of the Creek Kemptville Creek Welcome to the Subwatershed Kemptville Creek Drainage Area Subwatershed 456 square kilometres Length of n the large watershed of Kemptville Creek The Rideau Eastern ’s Rideau 69 kilometres Watershed I River, there are six major subwatersheds Length of (or tributary areas): Jock River, Kemptville Creek Kemptville Creek, Lower tributaries Rideau, Middle Rideau, 434 kilometres Rideau Lakes and Tay River. This report is a snapshot Catchment areas of one subwatershed — • Town of Kemptville Kemptville Creek, a tributary to 27 km 2 the . Kemptville • Barnes Creek Creek is formed by the 27 km 2 confluence of two forks, the North Branch and the South Branch. Together, • Oxford Mills they drain a relatively flat farming district with many large wetlands, moist 73 km 2 woodlands and fertile crop lands. The largest commercial and residential • North Branch centre, the Town of Kemptville, is situated close to the mouth of Kemptville 129 km 2 Creek at the Rideau River. Recent upgrades to the local infrastructure and • South Branch the short commute to urban Ottawa have triggered a development boom in 80 km 2 the northern portion of the Subwatershed. The Subwatershed is moving • Mud Creek from a country estate/single residential form to a higher density suburban 120 km 2 model with urban type services, including big box retail. RVCA Conservation The major concerns documented in the 2007 Kemptville Creek Lands Watershed Plan were: • Naftel • Land drainage and water levels (beaver management and operation • Soumako of the Oxford Mills Dam), and • Sparks • Water quality (with a focus on Barnes Creek and to a lesser extent along Kemptville Creek within developed/developing areas of the Town of Kemptville) What We Monitor and Why? The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) goal is clean water, healthy shorelines and sustainable land use. Monitoring environmental conditions helps us see trends over time, focus our actions where they can do the most good, and evaluate the effectiveness of our watershed policies and programs. This report, together with the more detailed catchment reports prepared for each of the six catchments of Kemptville Creek (available at www.rvca.ca), shows the 2012 conditions using five key indicators of subwatershed health: water quality, water levels, forests, shorelines and wetlands. Previous data is used where applicable for comparison with current conditions.

2 3 Water Quality

4 Water Quality How is water quality measured? Our water quality ratings are made up of many water quality characteristics blended together to allow water quality to be represented by a single rating of Very Poor, Poor, Fair, Good or Very Good. This is based on the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI). Ratings are based on how often, how many and by how much sample results for each parameter exceed established water quality guidelines.

What is measured? The final water quality rating is based on analysis of 24 of the following parameters from many water samples taken at 15 sites within the Kemptville Creek Subwatershed over a 12 year period.

• Nutrients (total phosphorus, total Kjeldahl nitrogen and nitrate); excessive nutrients may result in excessive vegetation and reduced dissolved oxygen available for the aquatic community • E.coli as an indicator of the presence of bacteria from human or animal waste • Metals (including lead, iron and copper) that may pose a health risk to aquatic life and indicate the presence of pollution • Additional chemical/physical characteristics such as pH, alkalinity and total suspended solids which may indicate stresses to aquatic life and stream function

The change-in-water-quality-over-time arrows on the map compare Water Quality Index values for the period from 2007 to 2012 with values from the 2001 to 2006 period.

Water quality sampling on Kemptville Creek

5 Water Quality

Water Quality in the Kemptville Creek Subwatershed This text provides a general description of water quality in the subwatershed. For more detailed water quality results, please see the six catchment reports (available at www.rvca.ca) containing more site-specific water quality information and analysis.

Water quality at the 15 sampling sites in the Kemptville Creek Subwatershed ranges from “Good to Poor” depending on the specific location and adjacent land uses. Eight of the 15 sampling sites show deteriorating water quality; the other seven show no change.

Each monitored site is unique. To understand any changes in water quality, one needs to look at individual sampling results over time. In the majority of cases, water quality will only be improved by reducing nutrient sources, by protecting natural shorelines and by reducing known point and non-point sources. There is no magic solution; the best approach is to apply good management practices around the streams themselves.

South Branch — North Augusta Kemptville Creek — view from Curry Park, Town of Kemptville

Kemptville Creek — off of Prescott Street, Town of Kemptville

6

Above Oxford Mills, the Creek is generally slow moving and contains nutrient rich organic soils, contributing to naturally occurring high concentrations of organic nitrogen. TKN is the parameter that measures ammonia and organic nitrogen and is largely responsible for the “Fair” water quality ratings.

Below Oxford Mills, the Creek is characterized by more intensive land-uses. The majority of sampling sites show a deterioration in water quality. A multitude of factors are contributing to these results, such as elevated levels of nutrients, bacteria and certain metals (please see the Oxford Mills and Town of Kemptville catchment reports at www.rvca.ca for more detailed information).

The Barnes Creek sampling site is the only one rated “Poor,” based on the persistent high levels of nutrients, E.coli and metals (aluminum, copper and iron in particular) and has not improved over the course of the two reporting periods. This result does not meet the 2007 Kemptville Creek Watershed Plan Update objective to reduce bacteria and nutrient loadings along Barnes Creek. Where water quality has been downgraded at a site, it typically shows elevated levels of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) often associated with high concentrations of E.coli.

Development along the lower reaches of Kemptville Creek will continue during the next monitoring cycle and has the potential to increase stress on the watercourse. Throughout this Subwatershed, continuing good manure and fertilizer management practices is necessary for water quality protection, as is the maintenance, re-inspection and repair/replacement of septic systems. Why maintain good water quality?

Four main reasons: 1. Healthy water is fundamental to healthy families and communities 2. Individuals and businesses rely on a natural source of clean water for farming, fishing, water sports, wildlife viewing and walking 3. Good water quality promotes a diverse and healthy aquatic ecosystem 4. Kemptville Creek is a key tourist, business and visual feature of the Town of Kemptville

Barnes Creek culvert — Town of Kemptville

7 Water Levels

Water Levels on Kemptville Creek Water levels on Kemptville Creek have been a constant source of discussion for decades. They are affected by beaver activity, the growth of aquatic vegetation in slow-moving reaches of the watercourse, the operation of the Oxford Mills Dam, the weather and the inherent slow drainage of the Creek due to low topography and geology of the Creek valley.

Over the last 10 years, RVCA has invested in: • High quality and detailed topographic mapping of the Creek corridor • Field surveys at public road crossings and other important hydraulic features, to enable observation and recording of water levels that are referenced to geodetic datum (metres above sea level) • More accurate hydraulic and hydrodynamic modeling of the system • Field surveys of beaver dam locations and heights • Continuous recording of water surface elevations at selected locations

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Beaver Management Program RVCA carried out two cost-effective beaver management projects in the Subwatershed from 2003 to 2007 and from 2011 to 2012. One hundred and seventy beavers and 33 beaver dams were removed resulting in improved agricultural drainage adjacent to the Creek, reduced woodlot flooding and lowered water levels along the North Branch and South Branch of Kemptville Creek. The Beaver Management Program continues: RVCA tracks nuisance beaver calls, distributes the beaver management package to landowners and municipalities and assists with managing beavers and their dams through production of maps showing landowners the location of beaver dams and property Beaver dam ownership in difficult areas.

We have learned a lot about the behavior of the Creek over the past ten years. The natural topography and geology of the Subwatershed makes for a system that is inherently “poorly drained.” But efforts should continue to manage water levels along Kemptville Creek and improve watershed conditions.

Beaver management locations

9 Water Levels

Oxford Mills Dam During low flow periods in the summer months, the Oxford Mills Dam will control the water levels over a considerable distance (19.5 kilometres) – all the way upstream to the Garretton/Diamond Road vicinity. Whenever flows increase due to rainfall, stop logs are removed from the Oxford Mills Dam, by the Ministry of Natural Resources, to pass the incoming flows and to keep the controlled water level within the established target level of 97.4 metres above sea level. During these wet periods, submerged but near-surface ledges of rock along the Creek profile act like small dams to slow the flow causing water levels upstream to be higher than the control level at the Oxford Mills

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Dam. One such control point of particular note is a rock outcrop located approximately two kilometres upstream of the Patterson’s Corners Road. In addition, beaver dams or debris and heavy vegetation growth within the long flat reach of the Creek between Patterson’s Corners Road and Garretton can significantly affect water levels and disrupt the drainage of nearby fields during and after periods of heavy rainfall. An ongoing and continuous maintenance program to keep the channel open is warranted and necessary in order to minimize drainage problems on adjacent

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11 Forest Cover

12 Forest Cover The Benefits of Forest Cover Forests are a fundamental part of any healthy subwatershed because of their critical role in the water cycle. Runoff from forested lands into streams after a rain or snowmelt is significantly cleaner and lower in both volume and peak flow than runoff from an unforested area. Trees help protect streams from storm or runoff erosion and make subwatersheds more resilient to climate change’s expected heavy rainfall, irregular storms and unseasonal precipitation. In addition, forests:

• Clean the air • Clean water seeping into the ground • Reduce erosion and encourage infiltration of stormwater • Create wildlife habitat • Buffer wind and noise • Provide wood products and recreational opportunities

Experts believe that a minimum forest cover of 30 percent is needed to sustain the natural biodiversity and environmental services mentioned above. Since about the 1950s, the general trend across much of has been an increase in forest cover (partly natural, partly through reforestation) mainly in areas of marginal farmland that has since been abandoned. Existing Forest Cover in the Kemptville Creek Subwatershed Forest cover in the six catchments of Kemptville Creek was classified in 2013 using 2008 DRAPE imagery and compared to previous work carried out by the Ministry of Natural Resources (from 2004 to 2006) using data from 2000 to 2002. Forest cover ranges from a high of about 44 percent in the South Branch catchment to a low of 29 percent in the Town of Kemptville catchment. For Kemptville Creek as a whole, forest cover was calculated to be 165 square kilometres (36 percent) in 2008 across the Subwatershed. This coverage was compared to the best available data last updated in 2002 which shows forest cover to be about 196 square kilometres (43 percent). This comparison highlights a general change/decrease of seven percent in forest cover which is likely a result of human activity and natural events.

Declines in forest cover vary by catchment with the largest decrease/change occurring in the North Branch catchment of Kemptville Creek (at 16 percent), followed by the Barnes Creek catchment (at eight percent), Town of Kemptville catchment (at four percent), Mud Creek and Oxford Mills catchments (at three percent) and the South Branch catchment (at two percent). The noticeable decline in forest cover in the North Branch catchment is a trend to watch knowing that efforts have already been made by landowners and the municipalities of and Merrickville-Wolford to reduce high water Forest Cover by Catchment levels along Kemptville Creek that have resulted in the flooding of adjacent woodlots and disrupted the drainage of nearby fields. Town of Kemptville 29% Land conversion for agriculture and residential/commercial Barnes Creek 33% development is also a contributing factor partially responsible for the reported loss of forest cover. Oxford Mills 39% North Branch 35% Since forests and wooded riparian zones are one of the great South Branch 44% protectors of water quality, this change/decrease in forest cover is one to watch over the next monitoring period, especially in the Mud Creek 34% Barnes Creek catchment where surface water quality is “poor.”

13 Wetlands

14 Wetlands The Benefits of Wetlands Wetlands are nature’s flood control and water supply reservoirs — places for the temporary storage of runoff from rain and snowmelt. Thanks to our Rideau wetlands, peak flows during floods are lower, low flows are sustained during dry weather and groundwater supplies are replenished. RVCA hydrologists estimate that the existing wetlands across the entire Rideau watershed are responsible for a peak flow (and its resulting flood damage) that is about 10 percent lower than what we would see without the wetlands! This is big and free! It doesn’t come much better than that.

Wetlands are increasingly valued for the ecological goods and services they provide such as water supply, water regulation, water cleansing and climate regulation. These services have been valued at $247 per person per year in a recent Ontario study. * In other words, wetlands do for free what we would otherwise have to pay millions of dollars to do through technology and infrastructure. Wetlands also provide habitat for many common and rare plants and animals as well as fishing, hunting and recreational opportunities like canoeing and bird watching.

Wetlands are valuable green infrastructure that pay for themselves many times over. Conserving or restoring wetlands is right up there with tree planting and shoreline naturalization as simple, cost- effective measures with huge watershed management benefits. Existing Wetlands in the Kemptville Creek Subwatershed The Kemptville Creek Subwatershed has some of the most extensive wetlands in the entire Rideau system due to the flat topography and the low gradient of the Creek. All six catchments exceed 15 percent wetland cover and two, the Oxford Mills and North Branch catchments, exceed 30 percent.

Because of the specific geographical conditions in each of the six Rideau Valley subwatersheds (which may or may not be conducive to wetland formation and retention), recent local targets for wetland cover focus on “no net loss of wetlands” (as is the case along the Lower Rideau River, as described in the 2005 Lower Rideau Watershed Strategy ), rather than on specific targets (percentages) in a subwatershed. The balancing act is to work towards retaining as much wetland as possible using a combination of incentives, regulations and willing landowners. These wetland statistics will be reviewed again in our next report on Kemptville Creek in 2019.

Wetland Cover by Catchment

Town of Kemptville 17% Barnes Creek 29% Oxford Mills 33% North Branch 42% South Branch 27% Mud Creek 27%

* Natural Credit — Estimating the Value of Natural Capital in the Credit River Watershed, November 2009. South Branch wetland

15 Shorelines

16 Shorelines The Benefits of well-vegetated Shorelines The shoreline (or riparian) zone is that special and vulnerable area where the land meets the water. Keeping shorelines well vegetated with native trees and shrubs is a major goal because of their importance in preserving water quality and supporting healthy aquatic habitats. Natural shorelines intercept runoff that carries sediment, pesticides and fertilizers that can reduce water quality and harm fish habitat in streams, Creeks and rivers. Well established vegetative buffers also protect streambanks from erosion, improve habitat for fish by shading and cooling the water and provide protective cover for birds and other wildlife that feed and rear young near water.

A recommended riparian cover target in the Great Lakes Region is 30 metres of natural vegetation on both sides of Creeks and streams along at least 75 percent of their length. This may not be realistic along shorelines with established agricultural, residential or commercial uses. Kemptville Creek catchments with less than 75 percent shoreline cover are prime areas for shoreline naturalization that can be improved with help from the various incentive grant programs offered by the RVCA and other partners. Catchments with more than 75 percent riparian cover could also be enhanced in areas where shoreline conditions have become degraded through vegetation removal. Existing Shoreline Cover in the Lower Shoreline Cover by Catchment Rideau Subwatershed Shoreline cover percentages are given for each of the six Town of Kemptville 55% catchments of Kemptville Creek. The map shows that, with the exception of the Town of Kemptville catchment, the other five Barnes Creek 70% catchments show a healthy 70 to 84 percent of the riparian Oxford Mills 84% corridor buffered with natural vegetation providing all of the natural functionality described. Overall, natural riparian cover North Branch 83% averages 78 percent across the Kemptville Creek Subwatershed South Branch 77% and is comprised of swamp, marsh and bog wetland cover (at 62 percent) and forest cover (at 16 percent). Mud Creek 79%

Kemptville Creek

17 Kemptville Creek

18 Working Together — We are all part of the solution!

e’re lucky in Kemptville Creek. There is little heavy industry or major point source pollution. There is plenty of agriculture and many of the farmers already know about W and participate in environmental programs to protect the Creek. The Creek itself tends to be naturally sluggish in its route with a drop of only about 30 metres (about the height of the flag pole at the new municipal centre in Kemptville) along its 69 kilometre meander from the headwaters to the Rideau River. Not a lot. Because of its slow, meandering flow and the flat surroundings, the Creek simply needs space for the occasional flooding event.

The best thing we can do is to give the Creek the space it needs and keep the banks in a natural state. Don’t crowd it with farm activities or infrastructure that could get damaged by flooding. Keep natural shorelines intact and let the wetlands and woodlots do their job of accepting excess water during high flow periods to be released slowly during the drier months. Restore shorelines in the few places where they have been degraded.

Water quality in Barnes Creek remains a problem. Where is the degradation coming from? How can we get it under control? A concentrated water quality study on the Creek (possibly in cooperation with the University of Guelph’s Kemptville Campus and the Municipality of North Grenville) is called for before the next reporting period in 2019.

Beaver management and farm best management practices need to continue to keep water levels and water quality on Kemptville Creek within reasonable limits for all users. How can you get involved? This report identifies some areas of the Kemptville Creek Subwatershed where natural conditions are less than ideal. These can be improved through work by community associations, environmental groups, families, schools, individuals and collaboratives of all kinds. The following stewardship projects may be of interest to Kemptville Creek municipalities and residents:

• For shoreline naturalization projects, contact the RVCA Shoreline Naturalization Program Manager at 613-692-3571 • For tree planting projects, contact the RVCA Forestry Manager at 613-692-3571 • For farm and clean water projects, contact the RVCA Rural Clean Water Program Manager at 613-692-3571 • For environmental farm plans and projects, contact Ontario Soil & Crop Association at 1-800-265-9751 • For wetland care projects, contact Ducks Unlimited at 1-866-389-0418 • For fish & wildlife projects, contact the Leeds and Grenville Stewardship Council through its web site at lgstewardship.ca or email at [email protected] • To protect lands such as shorelines, wetlands, floodplains and significant wildlife/woodland habitats through conservation easements or land donations, call the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation at 613-692-3571 or 1-800-267-3504 ext. 1116 for full, confidential information. • For the Conservation Land Tax Incentive Program and Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program, contact the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at www.mnr.gov.on.ca

If you are planning projects on your property, be sure to check with RVCA to see if permits are required. Checking first can save you from making costly mistakes. If you are thinking of buying property, we can let you know if and how the property is likely to be affected by Authority policies and regulations. Working together, we can save a lot of stress, time and money.

19 RIDEAU VALLEY CONSERVATION AUTHORITY How to reach us 3889 Rideau Valley Drive, P.O. Box 599 Manotick ON K4M 1A5

Tel. 613-692-3571 Fax. 613-692-0831

[email protected] www.rvca.ca

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February 2014