CREDITmanagement RIVER WATER STRATEGY Update MAKING IT WORK May 2007 Region of Peel Region of Halton County of Dufferin County of Wellington Town of Caledon City of Brampton City of Mississauga Town of Halton Hills Town of Oakville Township of Amaranth acknowledgements Township of East Garafraxa Town of Erin Town of Mono Town of Orangeville contents of Chapter 1 Introduction: Updating the Credit River Water Management Strategy 1 A Snapshot of the Credit 2 About this Report 3 Chapter 2 What Was Done 4 table Purpose of the Update How It was Done Goal, Principles and Objectives 5 Exploring Options for the Future 6 Chapter 3 Key Findings of the Study 9 Our Long-Term Health Depends on the Health of the Credit The Health of the Credit is Already at Risk 10 Current Planning and Development Practices are Not Sustainable 12 We Can Continue Growing if We Change Our Planning and Water Management Practices 13 There is a Limit to Growth 15 Chapter 4 Making it Work 16 Recommendations Working Together 17 INTRODUCTION 1 Updating the Credit River Water Management strategy Of all the resources that we its surface water, groundwater, natural areas, fisheries have on earth, fresh water is and wildlife. Detailed subwatershed planning has been perhaps the most important. carried out in most of the Credit’s tributaries, and CVC has It is a resource that is critical to developed a number of important watershed-wide life itself. We need clean, fresh strategies including a Water Quality Strategy, a water for drinking, washing, Groundwater Strategy, Fisheries Management Plan, chapter irrigation, agriculture, and Greenland Securement Strategy and a Natural Heritage industry. We need access to fresh Plan for the Credit. Within the last five years, the water for our communities, our government of Ontario has passed a number of tough economy and our environment. Fifty new laws aimed at protecting water resources in the years ago, we might have taken water for granted, but province. These new laws have changed the context for in this post-Walkerton time with the threat of climate the protection of water resources, especially in southern change looming, it is imperative that we are wise Ontario. stewards of our fresh water resources. Key New Documents & Regulations The Making it Work: Credit River Water Management Strategy Update is a plan of action that is designed to l United Nations Framework Convention on ensure that we have “abundant, clean and safe water” Climate Change, 2006. in the Credit River watershed, now and into the future. l Clean Water Act, 2006 The Credit River Water Management Strategy Update l Amendment Act, 2005 (CRWMSU) was developed through a consultative l New Provincial Policy Statement under the process led by Credit Valley Conservation (CVCA) in partnership with municipalities, provincial agencies, Planning Act, 2005 educators and non-governmental organizations. l Greenbelt Act, 2005 l Growth Plan for the Greater The CRWMSU builds upon the original Credit River Water Toronto Horseshoe, 2005 Management Strategy (CRWMS), which was completed l Places to Grow Act, 2004 in the early 1990s. Phase 1 of the original CRWMS, l Drinking Water Source Protection Act, 2004 completed in 1990, concentrated on issues related to l Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002 flooding and erosion. Phase 2, completed in 1992, l Nutrient Management Act, 2002 dealt with issues related to water quality and natural l Spills Bill (Environmental resources. Enforcement Statute Law l Oak Ridges Moraine Act, 2001 Much has changed in the Credit River watershed in the 14 years since the original CRWMS was developed. A significant amount of urban growth has taken place in Strategy: A long-term plan of action to achieve the watershed and urbanization continues to take place a particular goal. at a rapid pace. Through scientific studies and comprehensive monitoring, we have gained a much better understanding of how the Credit watershed functions and the condition of its resources including 1 1 With all these changes, the time is indeed A Snapshot of the Credit right for updating the CRWMSU to If there is one adjective to describe the Credit River, it ensure that the Credit’s water resources might be “diverse”. The river begins in tiny streams that are protected in the future. The 2006 bubble up from the gravelly uplands of the headwaters. version of the CRWMSU builds on and From these headwater streams, the Credit meanders 99 integrates the considerable work that kilometres to the highly urbanized shoreline of Lake has been carried out by CVC and its Ontario, on the way passing through natural areas, farms partners in the watershed. The aim of and rural estates, heritage villages and new suburbs, the CRWMSU is to protect the features industrial areas and long-established residential zones. and the functions of the Credit River watershed. It will inform decisions about A series of headwater moraines, outwash and buried growth in the context of ensuring that bedrock plains and valleys intermingle the Oak Ridges there will be “abundant safe and clean Moraine and the Niagara Escarpment to give rise to a water” over the long term. The CRWMSU will help complex groundwater and surface water system. decision makers answer key questions such as: How About a third of the 1,000 square kilometre watershed much can we grow and how should growth take place? is covered by an extensive greenlands system made up of forests, valleylands, wetlands and meadows. Within The theme of this report, and the major thrust of the this greenland system can be found 49 Environmentally CRWMSU is the need to “shift gears” in order to protect Significant Areas – areas in which there are important the health of the Credit River Watershed over the long landforms or habitats or that serve important term. In this context, “shifting gears” means changing hydrological functions – and 11 Potential how we plan our communities and changing how we Environmentally Significant Areas. The greenland system deal with stormwater to ensure a sustainable Credit River. supports a rich variety of plant and wildlife communities, This report describes how we can do that together. and the aquatic habitats in the watershed support one of Figure 1 the finest coldwater fisheries in Ontario. Physiology of the Credit River Watershed The Credit River watershed is also an important home for people. Some 28% of the total Credit River watershed is classified as urban and about 650,000 people live within the watershed, with most of them (87%) living in the lower third of the watershed. The Credit is part of the Greater Toronto Area, which for a decade has been one of North America’s fastest growing areas. 2 1 The incredible diversity of the Credit River Credit Facts watershed is linked to its physiography l The Credit River flows 99 kilometres from the (the shape and elevation of the land headwaters (where it begins) to Lake Ontario. and the soils through which it flows). l The Credit River drains an area of about 1,000 It is naturally divided into three distinct square kilometres. zones – the Upper, Middle and Lower Watersheds (see Figure 1). The Upper l The Credit River watershed contains over 1,500 Watershed lies above the Niagara kilometres of tributaries, streams and creeks. Escarpment and has soils that are more l While only about 21% of the watershed is coarse-grained and permeable than urbanized, development pressure is intense elsewhere in the watershed. Because and the Credit River watershed is one of the of the elevation and the soils, there is most rapidly urbanizing parts of Canada. significant infiltration of water into the l About 650,000 people live in the Credit River ground and the groundwater provides a significant Watershed, and most of them (87%) live in the amount of the baseflow of streams. lower third of the watershed. l An extensive greenlands system covers about The Middle Watershed includes the Niagara Escarpment a third of the watershed, providing natural areas Area and the Oak Ridges Moraine between Inglewood and Norval. This area is characterized by steep slopes, for wildlife, conservation and recreation. extensive outcroppings of bedrock, and thin soils. Forest l The Credit River Watershed includes portions cover in this zone tends to slow runoff and increase of two unique and important landforms -- infiltration of water into the ground. In the Middle the world famous Niagara Escarpment and Watershed, the Credit flows through a narrow, the Oak Ridges Moraine. steep-walled valley and is fed by small spring-fed creeks l The Credit River Watershed contains and tributaries that originate in wetland complexes. 49 Environmentally Significant Areas. l CVC owns and/or manages 52 properties, The Lower Watershed is relatively flat and slopes gently 10 Conservation Areas, 4 Forest Conservation southward to Lake Ontario. Soils in the Lower Watershed Areas and 2 Operational Conservation Areas are less permeable and therefore more runoff takes place that offer staffed facilities. here than in the Upper and Middle Watersheds l The Credit’s natural areas are home to 48 spe- About this Report cies of mammals, 31 species of amphibians and This report –Making it Work: Credit River Water reptiles, 244 species of birds, 75 species of fish Management Strategy Update – has been prepared and 1,255 species of plants. by CVC in concert with member municipalities as l The Credit contains the most diverse coldwater an overview of the updated Credit River Water fishery in Ontario and is one of the best Management Strategy. While it includes a brief recreational fishing rivers in Ontario. description of the process used to update the Strategy, this report places more emphasis on the findings of the study, and the implications of those findings than on the methodology used.