CRVWA Water Source Carrot River Valley Watershed Association 202 Main Street Box 40, Melfort, Sask. S0E 1A0 Phone: 306-752-1270 • Email: [email protected] Website: www.crwatershed.ca Like us on Facebook: Carrot River Valley Watershed Association SPRING 2014 A Message from the Carrot River Valley Watershed Association With spring upon us we are often remind- help ensure that water concerns of both urban and RM of Hoodoo, Secretary/Treasurer ed of the importance and significance of water. In rural areas can be addressed in a timely manner. Robert Harley, AEGP, Past Chairperson the fields we have seen the snow disappear and We work to facilitate partnerships to increase com- Susan Schroepfer, Pasquia Regional Park the vegetation below reappear. We are seeing the munication and awareness of source water protec- Bud Charko, RM of Moose Range creeks and rivers reappearing and in a sense com- tion. The CRW AEGP works with producers in Dale Holmgren, RM of Kinistino ing back to life. Shorelines and creek banks are the area to implement On-Farm Beneficial Man- Lionel Dosch, St. Peter Conservation becoming green and lush with the growth of new agement Practises (BMP’s) through cost-shared and Development Authority grass and leaves are reappearing on trees. Water funding available through the Farm Stewardship Clarence Puetz, RM of Humboldt is key to the success of so many activities and vital Program (FSP) and the Farm and Ranch Water to sustain life itself. Infrastructure Program (FRWIP) under Growing One of the most important things for wa- The Carrot River Valley Watershed Association Forward 2. tershed residents to remember is that we can all (CRVWA) and the Carrot River Watershed Agri- The CRVWA hosted our Annual General make a difference to help protect and conserve Environmental Group Plan (CRW AEGP) will Meeting on April 14, 2014 in Melfort. We would water for future generations. Whether it be some- continue to work within the Carrot River Water- like to introduce our 2014/2015 Board of Direc- thing as simple as conserving water at home by shed to promote sustainable practises to help en- tors: ensuring none of your taps are leaking or building sure that our water is protected and sustained for Rick Lang, City of Melfort, Chairperson a rain barrel to collect rain water for use in your future generations. Alvin Aylea, Town of Arborfield, Vice-Chairper- yard. The CRVWA works to implement key ac- son tion items in our Source Water Protection Plan to Catherine Mazurkewich, 2014 Poster Contest “Groundwater, Below the Surface” Congratulations The CRVWA hosted a poster contest in con- junction with the other 10 watersheds in Sas- to Julia Frie katchewan. The theme of this year’s poster from Wakaw contest was “Groundwater, Below the Surface”. School! The contest was open to all students within the watershed focusing on grades 5-7. Local priz- es were given to the local winners and the 1st Julia won a place winner’s poster then went on to complete backpack full of against the other watersheds in Saskatchewan prizes as well as for the chance to win an Outdoor Recreational a swim pass. Package valued at $1000.00.

Changing to low flow faucets, low flow shower heads and dual flush toilets will lead to a significant reduction in water usage. For example, a five minute shower with a standard shower head uses 100 litres of water whereas a five minute shower with a low-flowWATER shower head uses less than 50 litres of water. FACT CRVWA Water Source Invasive Plant Management Workshop The CRVWA and the CRW AEGP partnered Speakers and topics included: SARM Invasive Alien Plant Program to host an Invasive Plant Management Workshop on Early Detection & Rapid Response Harvey Anderson, Invasive Weed Specialist March 26, 2014. The workshop was held in Melfort Chet Neufeld, Executive Director SARM Invasive Alien Plant Program at the Kerry Vickar Center. The workshop was open Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan Farm Stewardship Program & Farm and to the public and was well attended by urban resi- Invasive Plant Identification & Control Ranch Water Infrastructure Program dents, producers and industry. Al Foster, Regional Forage Specialist Sarah Nye Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Carrot River Watershed AEGP Technician Invasive Weeds: Common Tansy and Scentless Chamomile There are many invasive weed threats in Sas- shed at this time include: Common Tansy, Tanace- are both prevalent throughout western Canada and katchewan and within the Carrot River Watershed. tum vulgare and Scentless Chamomile, Matricaria are becoming increasing concerning for the Carrot However, two of the most prevalent in our water- perforata. Common tansy and scentless chamomile River Watershed. Common Tansy Identification: from rootstock. The most effective control method Stems are branched, erect, often purplish-red, and Habitat: combines mowing or hand cutting with chemical dotted with glands. There are many stems per plant Common Tansy may be found in riparian areas, control and encouraging competition from native and grow up to 1.5 to 2 m tall. tame forage, native pastures, roadsides, waste areas vegetation. Repeated stem removal depletes the Leaves alternate on the stem and are deeply divid- and gravel pits. food energy stored in roots. ed into numerous narrow, individual leaflets with Chemical: Picloram, dicamba and glyphosate can be toothed edges. Control: effective on tansy when applied properly. Herbicide Flowers are yellow, numerous, and button-like, oc- Grazing: Tansy is unpalatable to cattle and horses, control may not be an option for environmentally curring in dense, flat topped clusters at the tops of but sheep and goats are reported to graze on it. sensitive areas such as wetlands or riparian areas. the stems. Flowering occurs from July to Septem- Cultivation: Since this plant is rhizomatous, flower- Biological: While there are organizations research- ber. ing stems can re-grow from severed roots, therefore ing this area, there are currently no known biologi- Seeds are yellowish brown achenes with short, five- cultivation is not a control option. cal control options for common tansy. toothed crowns. Seeds remain viable and can germi- Mechanical: Regular mowing can reduce seed pro- nate for up to 25 years. duction but must be repeated to eliminate regrowth

Common Tansy Common Tansy Scentless Chamomile Scentless Chamomile Scentless Chamomile Identification: Habitat: Mechanical: Stems are hairless, highly branched and have branch- Scentless chamomile may be found on roadsides, Mowing can prevent seed production but plants will es that are curved upwards. There are many stems yard sites, riparian areas, cropland, tame forage, na- re-bloom below the cutting height. Hand-pulling per plant and grow up to 6 to 36 inches tall. tive prairie, waste areas and gravel pits. can prevent spread into new areas and is effective on Leaves are smooth and finely divided almost like small infestations. Pulled plants should be burned or bagged and sent to the landfill. Burning infesta- carrots, leaves are alternate on the stems and usually Control: tions that have finished blooming can prevent seed occur without stalks. Grazing: Scentless chamomile is generally unpalat- spread. Flowers are daisy like with a yellow center and thin able to grazers and its seeds can survive digestion. white pedals, pedals occur individually on the stem Cultivation: Late fall and early spring tillage will Chemical: tips. Flowering occurs from June to October. control rosettes. Frequent, shallow tillage can help Picloram and clopyralid are effective. Late fall or Seeds are about 2 mm long and are dark brown or exhaust the seed bank by repeatedly destroying ger- early spring applications will control rosettes. Sev- black, with three distinct light-brown ribs. Repro- minating seedlings. Equipment must be cleaned af- eral products are registered for use in crop situa- duction is by seed and seeds can be viable for up to ter. tions. Herbicide control may not be an option for 15 years. environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands or riparian areas. When “natural capital” such as wetlands are gone society must turn to capital improvements such as in- creased water purification, flood mitigation and soil retention strategies. These “fixes” are more expensive to build, operateWATER and update than those provided by nature. FACT CRVWA Water Source Youth Presentations and Workshops The CRVWA has been fortunate to visit presentation that focused on the types of pollution, many schools within our watershed. To date we have ways to prevent pollution and water conservation visited Arborfield School, Bjorkdale School, Carrot methods. River High School, Wakaw School and Reynolds School. The school presentations focus on source The Pathfinders and Rangers in Melfort took water protection, types of potential pollutants, part in our Rain Barrel Workshop that we hosted on ways to decrease pollutants entering our waterways April 13, 2014. This workshop allowed the groups and water conservation. We would like to thank to learn about the importance of water conservation all schools that took part in our presentations. All well building a rain barrel. All participants received schools that request presentations will receive the parts to build a rain barrel and during this presentations in a timely manner, the CRVWA staff workshop the rain barrels were assembled. Once are able to deliver presentations year round. the rain barrels were complete the participants were able to take the rain barrels home free of charge as a We also delivered a presentation to the Girl method to conserve water in the summer. Guides in Melfort. The Girl Guides took part in a Summer Water Conservation Tips Canada is viewed as a water rich country, Tips to Conserve Water during the Summer Months ing the summer. this often lead to the misconception that water is in an endless supply. Water must be managed like • Watering lawns and gardens in the early morn- • Hand watering garden plants will ensure that any other valuable resource. Sustainable and smart ing and evenings will help to reduce evaporation water is directly applied to the plant root zone. water usage will ensure that there is enough clean of water. Watering on calm days will further This is a simple step that can limit water waste water for future generations. limit the evaporation and drift. • A rain barrel will ensure that rain water can be The average Canadian uses 343 litres of wa- • Ensure that sprinklers avoid impermeable sur- collected and used to water lawns and gardens. ter per person each day. Of this 343 litres 10% of faces such as driveways. This will help to limit Collecting rainwater allows for the conservation it is used in the kitchen for drinking, cooking and runoff into storm drains. of water, limits the strain on storm drains and is washing dishes. About 65% of water is used indoors actually better for lawns and gardens than treat- • Watering lawns and gardens slowly will help in the bathroom. Water use dramatically increases ed water. limit runoff and ensure that water is absorbed. in the summer when half to three quarters of treated • Use a broom to remove debris from paved sur- water is used to water lawns and gardens. • Consider planting native vegetation, this will faces instead of washing with water. further limit the amount of water required dur- Riparian Areas What are riparian areas? etation increases bank stability and resistance thereby decreasing the erosion of the banks. Riparian areas are the transition zones between land and water environments, and the abundance of wa- • Recharge aquifers- Riparian areas are ideal ar- ter and water loving plants set riparian areas apart eas to recharge ground water aquifers since they from the drier upland areas. While they only cover are moist and lush areas. a small percentage of the landscape, riparian areas have an important role in overall watershed health • Store water and energy- Riparian areas have the that extends far beyond the area that they occupy. ability to hold excess water thereby decreasing the impact of flooding and increasing ground What are the functions of healthy riparian areas? water recharge. Healthy Riparian Area • Trap sediments- Sediments accumulate in ri- • Reduce and dissipate energy- The reduction of parian areas. This sediment is than able to trap energy leads to less erosion and less transporta- and store nutrients and pathogens that may be tion of erodible materials. harmful to the aquatic ecosystem. • Maintain biodiversity- Riparian areas maintain • Filter and buffer water- Riparian vegetation is and create habitat for fish, wildlife and vegeta- able to absorb and uptake contaminates, nutri- tion. ents and pathogens. • Create primary productivity- Riparian vegeta- • Protect and maintain banks- Deep-rooted veg- tion provides valuable forage and shelter. Unhealthy Riparian Area

In Saskatchewan 17% of land is stated to be wetlands, this means that Saskatchewan has 11% of Canada’s wetlands. Wetlands are decreasing at a dramatic rate threatening water supplies, natural habitats and recre- ational usage.WATER FACT CRVWA Water Source

What is a Watershed? Testing Your Private Water Supply We would like to remind residents to have their private water wells tested. If your drinking water comes from a private well the water should be tested for bacteria at least annually or anytime that you suspect contamination may have occurred. Water testing can be done by the Saskatchewan Provincial No matter where we live, we all live happen in one part of the watershed may have Health Lab. For more in a watershed. A watershed is a geographic both direct and indirect effects on other areas information such as, area that drains into a specific body of water, of the watershed. As water passes through our such as a river, lake, sea or ocean. However, municipalities, farms and urban centers in our collection instructions, watersheds are more than just water. They are watershed, we have a responsibility to ensure shipping and cost call the dynamic, functioning ecosystems made up of an abundant and healthy downstream water Provincial Lab at a mixture of land and water habitats, which in- supply. Protecting our watershed is vital in cludes wetlands, rivers, lakes, grasslands, ur- ensuring an adequate supply of safe water 1-866-450-0000. ban areas and agricultural lands. Things that now and for the future. Thank you to our Members! Town of Carrot River Development Area Authority Wakaw Lake Regional Park Federation Town of Arborfield Moose Range Conservation & Authority St.Peter Conservation & RM of Tisdale #427 Development Area Authority Resort Village of Wakaw Lake Development Area Authority RM of Connaught #457 RM of Moose Range #486 RM of Invergordon #430 RM of Humboldt #370 Tisdale Wildlife Federation Town of Wakaw RM of Hoodoo #401 RM of St.Peter #369 Pasquia Regional Park RM of Kinistino #459 RM of Fish Creek #402 Arborfield Conservation & City of Melfort Melfort & District Wildlife NEW MEMBERS WELCOME Municipalities, Communities, and Special Interest Groups: Become a CRVWA Member Today! Have a voice in source water protection. Contact Us Carrot River Valley Watershed Association Mail: PO Box 40, Melfort, SK, S0E 1A0 Office: 202 Main Street Open Weekdays 8:30am-4:30pm E:mail: [email protected] crwatershed.ca Like us on Facebook: Carrot River Valley Watershed Association Water consumption dramatically increases in the summer months when ½ to ¾ of treated water is used to water lawns and gardens. You can conserve water by purchasing or building a rain barrel… not only is rain water free WATERbut it is also better for your lawns and gardens than treatedFACT water.